


The Father Daughter Dance

by Emily_F6



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bio daughter, Female Peter Parker, Gen, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Peter is Penny because Peter is a girl, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: When Penny Parker's mother dies, she is sent to live with the superhero father she's never met.  Now Tony must figure out how to be a father to a little girl while Penny deals with her own trauma.A series of interconnected one-shots.
Relationships: Tony Stark and Peter Parker
Comments: 54
Kudos: 574





	1. Bedridden

Penny curled herself into a ball under the covers in the strange room, shivering miserably and trying not to cry. She was too big to cry...her nanny had told her so. She'd also told her that her new daddy was a very busy man, and that her mommy wasn't coming back, and all sorts of other terrible things that usually made her cry. After her mom had died a few weeks ago, her dad, who she'd never really talked to before, had come to pick her up from the hospital...he hadn't actually looked at her. Or spoken to her. Just talked quietly with some lady, then another lady who would be her nanny had come forward and had grabbed her hand, pulling her along.

Her nanny's name was Miss Lucy and she worked for her daddy, who she didn't dare to call that because he was so tall and quiet and scary...and apparently, sometimes he wore a metal outfit and flew around and beat up bad guys. And sometimes her new daddy's friend Miss Pepper was there, and she was nice but usually busy, and Mr. Happy was around sometimes too but he never talked to her. Her favorite was Mr. Rhodey who had knelt down when he'd met her for the first time, smiling and tugging on her hair to make her laugh, and handing her a teddy bear that she clutched to her chest now.

Coughing into her pillow and trying to keep quiet, Penny felt a tear drip down her cheek and wiped it angrily. Six was too big to cry. She'd be going to real school this year and she knew her daddy was really, really smart and her mommy had always told her that she was really, really smart too, so maybe her daddy would talk to her if she could show him how smart she was. Shivering and scooting down so that she was completely under the blanket, she squeezed the teddy bear she'd named Cuddles as hard as she could, swallowing and coughing when that hurt.

She wanted her mom. She wanted her more than anything in the whole world. If she could have her mommy back, she thought, she would do anything. She'd always clean her room and put her toys away and eat her vegetables. It's how she'd been since coming to live in this huge tower in the middle of the city where she could never go outside and play or run or make noise...she ate whatever Miss Lucy gave her and kept her clothes hung up even though it was hard to reach to hang them up and she made her bed as best she could and listened to Miss Lucy. Miss Lucy had told her that her daddy would be angry if she didn't, and she was afraid of making him angry.

Penny had told Miss Lucy that she wasn't feeling good, her voice sheepish as she'd pushed away her dinner, and the woman had looked up from her phone and given her a displeased look. "If you don't eat your food, I'll have to tell your father. Do you want your father to be angry, Penelope?" Miss Lucy always called her Penelope even though no one ever called her that before coming to live with her new daddy. Penny had shaken her head and had forced herself to eat the food. Then, as quietly as possible, she'd thrown up in the bathroom and cried, then washed her face and gone back into her bedroom to keep coloring while Miss Lucy had sat in a rocking chair, reading a book.

Her door opened. Closing her eyes and curling up even tighter, wiping her eyes and trying to pretend to be asleep, she stayed as still as possible. "JARVIS?" An almost unfamiliar voice asked. She knew that JARVIS was a robot in the house...she wasn't supposed to play with it according to Miss Lucy.

The voice came from the ceiling then. "Penelope is running a fever of 101.9. She has been feeling sick for 6 hours." Her daddy said a word she hadn't heard before, then she heard him walking closer, a hand on her head over the covers making her jump and shrink away. The hand pulled away for a second, then pulled the covers down around her neck, the rush of cool air surprisingly nice against her face. Still, she kept her face hidden in the pillow.

"Hey, hey…" He murmured, the hand on her hair as he combed it back with his fingers. "It's okay, Penelope." The name just made her cry harder. Her mommy had only called her that when she was upset. "Why didn't you tell Miss Lucy you weren't feeling well?"

"She said you'd be angry," Penny sobbed, and he went quiet behind her. Then he turned her over so that she was on her back, but she kept her eyes shut tight, not wanting to see how mad he was. "I'm sorry," she begged. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to get sick."

He shushed her, moving the back of his hand to press against her forehead. "I'm not angry, kiddo. You don't have to be sorry," he murmured. "Can you tell me what hurts?"

"My throat." she whispered, eyes still shut. "And my stomach."

"Like you need to throw up?" 

She shook her head.  "I did earlier. I didn't make a mess though, I promise," she told him, tears slipping from her eyes. Then, cracking her eyes open, she looked up at him. He was kneeling beside her, lips pressed tightly together as he looked around her immaculate room. Was he looking for something wrong?

"JARVIS?" he asked.

"It seems as if Penelope has the flu. I would recommend bed rest, plenty of fluids, and a fever reducer."

"Okay." Her father stood, and she lowered her eyes, staring at the blanket in the dim light from her open door. "I'll be right back," he told her, leaving for about three minutes before returning with a bottle. Sitting on the bed beside her, he brushed some hair back and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sit up for a second, kiddo." He put a hand behind her back, stacking two pillows behind her so that she could sit up, then handed her a small cup of red liquid. "Drink up." He urged, and she did, even though it was gross. She must have made a face, though, because he chuckled a little. "I know, it's gross. I still haven't been able to find medicine that actually tastes like cherries."

She dropped her head against the pillows, yawning, and he moved more hair from her face. "You've got some long hair, huh? You want to get it cut?" 

Penny lowered her eyes.  "Okay," she murmured. 

He was quiet for a moment, and then he leaned forward.  "We don't have to. Here." He turned to her nightstand, looking around for a second, then grabbed a little green hair tie, carefully combing his fingers through her hair, then pulling it back into a ponytail and clumsily securing it with the tie. "Better." 

She just nodded. 

Her father took a long breath, and she wondered if she was making him angry. "Hey, you said you told Miss Lucy that you weren't feeling good...and she said it would make me angry?"

"She said if I didn't eat my food you'd be mad. It's one of the rules...I'm supposed to eat my food."

He nodded, serious. "And if you break the rules?"

"You'll get angry." 

He hummed, not sounding too pleased.  "What are the other rules?" 

She gave him a confused frown...didn't he know? This was his house, right? Still, he waited, and she was afraid of what he would do if she didn't answer.  "I'm supposed to keep my room clean and be quiet."

"Be quiet?" She nodded. "JARVIS?" he asked. 

She still wasn't used to the voice in the ceiling...but he sounded nice.

"Lucy has told Penelope that you will be angry if she makes noise, does not clean her room, or does not eat her food without complaining."

"Right," he muttered. "And what kind of things do you guys do?" he wondered, turning back to her. He was sitting beside her on the bed, elbow propped on the headboard. She glanced up at him.

"I do the workbooks and color and watch TV...sometimes I look at books. She doesn't care as long as I'm quiet and stay in my room." That was about it...had she forgotten anything? Coughing and closing her eyes, she tried to remember.

"Alright, kiddo. Get some sleep. It's getting late," he murmured, hand on her forehead for just a second before withdrawing. To her surprise, though, he didn't get up. Instead, he stayed by her side until she fell asleep, the gentle glow from his cell phone lighting up the room. She thought she heard him talking at some point, voice soft and angry, but she might have been wrong. It might have been a dream.

In the morning when Penny opened her eyes, she was alone, and she still felt awful. Coughing and hiding her face in her pillow, she tried not to cry...she was too old to cry. But she was only alone for a few minutes before the door was opening and her new daddy was there, sitting on her bed and checking her forehead. He handed her another tiny cup of medicine that she took dutifully, and then he shifted so he was looking down at her fully. "Alright, kiddo...think you're up for a talk before breakfast?" 

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, not sure why he was asking her. He could do whatever he wanted. This wasn't her mommy...this wasn't the woman that had played with her and loved her and held her...this was her daddy, who had barely spoken to her and who would get angry with her if she didn't follow the rules. Still, she nodded. 

"Here." He handed her a glass of orange juice and she drank, letting him take it back when she was finished.  "Okay." He pressed his lips together, then sighed. "I'm...I'm not very good at this," he admitted. "I didn't...your mom never told me about you. I guess because she didn't think I'd make a very good dad. And I was afraid that I wouldn't be a good dad, so I hired Miss Lucy because I thought she could help me take care of you, do you understand?" 

She nodded.  "You're really busy and I'd get in the way," Penny parroted Miss Lucy, but he shook his head, looking sad and hurt.

"No...you wouldn't get in the way. You're...you're my daughter. You're not in the way. Ever. Okay?" She wasn't sure what he was saying, and he must have read that on his face. "Miss Lucy was wrong. I didn't know she was telling you those things...she wasn't...she wasn't a very good nanny so she's not going to come back. You don't have to follow those rules here...this is your home. And I know it's strange and new, but you don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not ever going to hurt you." Penny wasn't sure what to think. She'd never heard of an adult being bad at their job.

"Even if you get angry?" 

He shook his head solemnly.  "Even if I get angry, I won't ever hurt you," he promised. "And I might not be very good at this...I mean, I've never been anyone's dad before. But I'm going to do my best. Okay?"

"Yes, sir," she murmured.

Her new daddy shook his head. "You don't have to call me 'sir,'" he told her, a hand on the top of her head. "That's what my dad made me call him, and he was never very nice. What did you call your mother?"

"Mommy."

"Okay. My names Tony, but you can call me whatever you want. Dad, daddy…" He trailed off a little, looking uncomfortable.

"My name is Penelope, but everyone always called me 'Penny,'" she offered.

He smiled then, shifting so that he was closer, an arm draping over her shoulder and pulling her to his side.  "Okay. JARVIS, you got that?"

"Yes, sir," the robot answered.

"Um...dad?" she asked, the word awkward in her mouth at first. He looked down at her, patient and calm...not like a man who would be angry with her for making noise. "Who is JARVIS?"

"Miss Lucy didn't tell you?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"She said he was a robot that I wasn't supposed to play with."

He shook his head. "JARVIS is an AI. Artificial intelligence. He's like a computer person that lives in the building. He can look things up and he runs the building. Like...hey, JARVIS, turn the lights up," he ordered, and slowly, the lights began to get brighter. "Now...make an elephant noise." The sound of an elephant trumpeting filled the room and she jumped with a surprised giggle, looking up at him wide-eyed.

"Can he do anything!?"

Her dad chuckled. "Just about. So if you ever need anything and I'm not around, just ask him. He can always get me. And you can play with him whenever you want. Right, J?"

"Of course, sir. Penny, I would be happy to play with you." She smiled up at the ceiling where the voice had come from, then scooted closer to her dad's side, resting her head on his shoulder, and she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. Just like Mommy.

"I'm going to do my best, Penny." He murmured. "We're going to figure this out." She wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but she was happy to curl up against his side and rest, and he seemed happy to let her.


	2. Head Trauma

Tony glanced over at his seven-year-old daughter, the movement almost a compulsion. It had been a year now...a year since he'd gotten a call letting him know that not only had the woman he'd had a one-night-stand with had died, but also that she'd had a daughter. And that the daughter was his. A year since he'd had the paternity test done and a year since he'd gotten sole custody of the girl. The tiny, sweet, frightened little girl that looked up at him with his own eyes. That he'd hired a nanny to watch after...and then, fired the same nanny after finding out that the woman had told his little girl that he would be angry with her if she broke some stupid rules.

The girl's birthday had been a few weeks ago, and he may have gone all out. Bouncy castle, a huge cake, and a handful of other kids from her class. Ned, who had quickly become her best friend, and some other kids that she'd asked if she could invite. He'd stood on the sidelines with Pepper and Rhodey, mingling with the other parents who had brought Penny presents. That had almost been unexpected. He hadn't thought about the fact that the other people would give her presents. But she'd gotten LEGO sets and art sets, dolls and stuffed animals...and then she'd very carefully and very neatly put all of it away in her room.

Her almost uncannily tidy room. Pepper thought that was troubling but Tony was sure she was fine. The little girl was very well behaved. He almost never had to ask her more than once to do anything. She went to bed on time, letting him tuck her in and never arguing when he told her it was time to sleep. She got herself ready for school and ate her vegetables and kept out of the way. And Pepper had tried telling him something about trauma but the girl seemed happy to him. So he kept an eye on her. Hired a new nanny who mostly just watched her when he had to go out of town and neither Rhodey or Pepper could babysit, which was rare.

He didn't need a full-time nanny, he'd argued with Pepper after he'd fired the woman. Plenty of working parents got by without a nanny. He could look after her...and besides, she'd be in school! He would just need someone to watch her when no one else was available.

Pepper had been skeptical. "Tony, she's six. She needs someone to spend time with her."

"I'll spend time with her. She's my daughter, Pep." Tony had cried, keeping his voice down as best he could. The little girl had been sick and had fallen asleep about an hour ago...he'd been right in the middle of sending the text that would fire the other woman. The one who'd hurt his kid. "I can take care of my daughter."

"I'm not saying you can't, Tony. But it might be harder than you think…"

Tony had dismissed her, and...okay, yes, it had sometimes been harder than he'd expected. He'd had to figure out how to get his work done while she was at school since he had been afraid of letting her down in the lab. But today, he'd decided to bring her down to the lab and let her play while he worked.

Her face had been adorably serious when he'd given her the rules for being in his lab...of course, there's weren't many. Don't touch anything without permission. Don't wander off. That was about it. She'd nodded, going to the spot he'd set up for her and working quietly on her toys and book the whole time.

He glanced at Penny again. He must have checked on her seven times in the last three minutes, but still. The girl sat at a desk in the corner building a LEGO set, a little chapter book on the floor beside her...something about ponies or fairies or puppies...or something. It had been a gift from Pepper. But the girl was more interested in building most of the time. A stuffed rabbit, which had been one of his birthday gifts for her, was on her lap, and occasionally she'd give it a squeeze. She'd gotten home from school about an hour ago and had been working quietly ever since, happy to get to see his lab for the first time. Maybe when she was older, he'd let her do some real work down here. He had gotten her a chemistry set for her birthday...maybe they could play with it together later. For the moment, though, he was glad that she could apparently work down here with him. It would make getting his own work done easier.

"Daddy?" He jumped a little, looking up from the phone he'd been tinkering with.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"I'm hungry. Can I get something to eat?" He checked his watch, frowning a little. He was nearly done but it was almost five...close to dinnertime. He realized it probably wasn't a great idea to have her down here every day...it wouldn't be good for her to be cooped up for hours. "Just a snack. I can go get it by myself." She must have been hungry, he thought with a pang, to actually ask. She almost never asked him for anything. Even when they went out together...even when he would catch her looking at toys and LEGO sets...she would never ask.

He hesitated...then nodded. That would be fine, right? "Yeah, okay We'll make dinner as soon as I'm done. Bring it down here to eat."

"Okay." The girl nodded, jumping up from her desk and hurrying over to the elevator. "Jarvis, can I go to the kitchen please?" 

T ony chuckled a little as the elevator doors opened and the girl stepped inside.  Then he got back to work, putting the phone back together and taking notes. This phone was set to hit the markets in three weeks, and Pepper insisted that he finish his final review up by the end of the day. So he worked as quickly as he could while still taking notes on the phone and ways it could be improved which, by this point, was almost none. He smiled down at his work, releasing a breath and putting it down on the table. Done.

"Sir?" Jarvis spoke, voice urgent.

"Hm?"

"Sir, Penny has fallen off a chair and seems to be injured." Tony froze, looking up at the ceiling.

"What?" He asked, jumping to his feet. "What?"

"Penny has…"

"No, I heard you! Why was she on a chair?" He demanded, racing toward the elevator, feeling as though he were moving through liquid. He couldn't breathe right...Penny was hurt. He'd left her alone and she was hurt!

"Penny was attempting to reach a jar of peanut butter on the top shelf," His AI informed him. Tony swore, hand shaking as the elevator shot him up to the penthouse. "She wanted to make you a sandwich."

The elevator deposited him onto the top floor and he raced into the living room, then the kitchen where he felt his whole body freeze, blood turning to ice. There was blood...she was on the floor and there was blood...he couldn't breathe...he couldn't move. She wasn't moving...she was on the floor and there was blood and she wasn't moving. "Jarvis...Jarvis...call...call someone." He begged, choking on his words. "Call...get help…" He jerked his leg forward, then another, hands shaking as he forced his way toward her, dropping to his knees and reaching out to press trembling fingers to her throat. "Penny? Penelope? Baby?" He felt a tear drip down his cheek.

Her pulse beat against his fingers but he didn't dare touch her anymore. The blood was a halo around her head...she'd hit it on the counter. He could see the chair, the shelf...the peanut butter she hadn't been able to reach.

The corner of the island where she'd hit her head. "I have contacted an ambulance and they are on their way. I have also contacted Colonel Rhodes." And then his phone was ringing in his pocket and he placed a gentle hand on her cheek, watching the blood soak into her long, tangled brown hair. Then he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Tony, Jarvis just called...what's going on?"

"Rhodey...I don't know what to do...she...she fell...she…"

"Tony, take a breath." Rhodey urged, his words soft and calm. "I'm on my way over. Did you call an ambulance?"

"Yes." He whispered. The girl didn't move. Didn't flinch.

"Okay. I can meet you at the hospital. You said she's breathing?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I…" He held the hand over her nose and after what felt like too long, he felt a puff of air. "Yes."

"Good. That's good. Can you tell me what happened?" The elevator left the floor then, and he had to assume that it was headed for the bottom floor to let the EMTs in.

"She came up here alone...we were in my lab but I told her she could come in here alone and get something to eat. I should have...should have come with her. I just...I needed to finish the damn phone…" His voice caught and he pressed a hand to his mouth. He was kneeling beside her and there was blood on his pants. Her blood. His little girl's blood.

"Okay...it's okay, Tones. She's going to be okay. Just...take a couple of deep breaths. Then what happened?"

"She wanted to make me a sandwich and she...she climbed up on a chair and...she fell. Hit her head on the corner of the cabinet...she isn't waking up, Rhodey."

"Is the ambulance close?"

"They're on their way up," Tony whispered.

The next hour was a terrible blur. Two women and a man came into his penthouse with a stretcher and shifted his daughter on a backboard, then lifted it onto a stretcher, securing a collar around her neck. She looked so impossibly small then...so tiny. Helpless. She didn't move or flinch or even seem to breathe and Tony just stood there...helpless. He'd let her come up alone and she was just a baby and...then he was in an ambulance. Then a hospital waiting room. He had no real memory of anything else...he was just sitting in a plastic chair, staring down at his hands and trying to remember how to breathe.

Then Rhodey was beside him, wrapping his arms around Tony's shoulders and Tony felt himself crumble, sobbing into his friend's shoulder. "Rhodey...she...she fell...I wasn't with her…"

"Tony, it was an accident." He whispered, rubbing Tony's back. The mechanic shook his head.

"No...no I didn't come with her. I left her alone and...I can't...I can't do this, Rhodey. I can't...I'm supposed to be her father and...I fired the nanny and said I could watch her but I…"

"Okay...okay. Come on." Rhodey urged, helping him sit and taking the chair beside him, rubbing constant circles over his back. "Take a breath, Tones. It's okay. What did the doctor say?"

"Nothing, yet," Tony whispered.

"Okay." He pulled away just a little, hands on his shoulders. "Listen to me. You love that little girl. She's your daughter, and you have been an excellent father. Everyone knows it. She loves you so much, and you are doing everything right. She's a happy, smart, healthy kid. This was an accident. Kids get hurt sometimes...they fall and break bones and bump their heads. But she's going to be fine."

"You don't know that."

Rhodey shook his head, then glanced up, and Tony followed his gaze to Pepper who was suddenly standing in the doorway to the waiting room. "Tony?" She whispered, a hand over her mouth. "Jarvis called me."

"She...Pep...she was just alone for a second…"

His assistant and sort of girlfriend hurried to his side, wrapping her arms around him, and he buried his face in her shoulder. "Tony…" She sat beside him, a hand in his hair, and he shook his head.

"She was getting something to eat...she wanted to make me a fucking sandwich…"

"Honey, this wasn't your fault." Pepper murmured into his hair, shaking her head. "Jarvis told me what happened."

"I let this happen. I should have been…"

"You can't be with her every second. This was an accident."

Tony didn't care. Didn't care if it had been an accident or not. His little girl was hurt and he hadn't been there.

The doctor called for him about half an hour later, the man reaching out and shaking his hand. "Mr. Stark. I'm Doctor Samson. Could you come with me?" Rhodey and Pepper came too, their footsteps right behind him as he followed the doctor. "Your daughter, Penelope, fell off of a chair, correct?" Tony nodded. "There was a cut on her head that required six stitches, and she has been unconscious since she was brought in. We did a CT scan and she appears to have a mild concussion, though we won't know for sure until she wakes up."

"When...when is she going to wake up?" Tony asked as they paused in front of a door.

"We can't know for sure. But you're welcome to sit with her. Um...family only at the moment, though." Tony nodded, and Rhodey dropped a hand on his arm.

"We're going to be in the waiting room. Just call if you need anything." Tony forced himself to nod, stepping into the room and freezing.

"I know it looks scary, but she's doing just fine." The doctor's voice was like a humming in the background. Like he was under water. "We'll be notified when she wakes up and can do some tests to make sure there's no brain damage." Just those words made him sick. Brain damage. His baby girl could have brain damage because he hadn't been there. He'd left her alone because he'd been too busy…

The doctor was gone then, and he moved to her side, sitting gingerly in a chair beside her bed. Hesitantly, he rested a hand on hers. There was a bandage wrapped around her head and a pulse monitor on her tiny finger. A monitor beside her told him that her heart was beating steadily and that she was breathing. That was all he needed to know, and closing his eyes, he gripped her hand gently in his, choking back a sob and dropping his head on her bed. "Baby...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry, Pen. I'm sorry I was busy and I'm sorry...I'm sorry I didn't just come with you. I…" He closed his eyes, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. "It's okay. I'm right here with you, baby. You won't be alone. I promise...just...wake up. Please? Please wake up for me, baby." The hand in his twitched and her fingers tightened a little around his. "Baby?" He asked, looking up and sniffing, running a hand over his eyes. "Pen? Honey, can you hear me?"

"Da…" She coughed a little, eyes closing tight and then opening a little. "Daddy?"

"Hey...hey, baby." Tony reached out, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Daddy...my head hurts…"

"I know." He whispered, gently brushing her hair back. It had been soaked in blood but they'd tied it back, cleaning her up. "You hit your head. Do you remember?"

"Daddy…" She whimpered, eyes darting around the room, huge tears pooling in her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. "Where are we? I'm...I'm scared…"

"No...no, baby, don't be scared." He urged, reaching out and wiping a tear away. "It's okay. You're fine. We're in a hospital. You fell and hit your head."

The girl just closed her eyes, lips trembling, tears still running down her cheeks, and he moved to sit on the bed beside her, gathering her into his arms, careful of the wires, and held her close. "I'm here, baby. It's okay. You're going to be fine." He promised, smoothing her hair, trying not to touch the stitches or the spot in her hair where they'd had to cut it a little. Tony thought of the blood soaking her hair...he would take her to get her hair cut once they got out of here. "My head hurts." She whimpered, and he rocked her back and forth. "I wanna go home…"

"I know. We're going to go home soon." He promised. "It's okay, baby. Uncle Rhodey and Aunt Pepper are both here too." He assured her. "As soon as the doctors check on you, I'm going to see when we can take you home. Okay?" She hesitated, then nodded, sniffing and wiping clumsily at her eyes. He reached down, wiping her tears away and kissing the top of her head. "There's my brave girl." He murmured. "I love you so much, baby."

She rested her head against his chest, curling up against him and snuggling close. "Love you too, Daddy."

He could do this. This was his daughter and he would do anything to protect her. Anything.

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Broken Ribs

Her daddy wasn't home yet. And he'd told her that he would be late and Miss Pepper had told her that he would be late and Uncle Rhodey was holding her in his lap, her head on his shoulder, blanket wrapped around both of them as he assured the newly seven-year-old girl that her daddy was fine. That he would be home soon. And she was trying so hard not to cry. Seven-year-olds didn't cry. A girl in her class had told her so a few days ago when they'd been reading a story about a little girl and her mom. Penny had put her head down on her desk, crying softly into her hands, trying so hard not to let anyone hear. She didn't want them to call her daddy. But then that girl had leaned over, telling her that she was too old to cry like a baby.

"He's going to be home soon, Penny. Don't worry." Uncle Rhodey murmured, hand rubbing up and down her back over the blankets and her pajamas. It was nearly eleven, long after her bedtime, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until her daddy got home. Uncle Rhodey was babysitting her, and he'd known right off when she'd tip-toed out of her room an hour ago that she wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Alright, kiddo. You want to sit up and wait for him, hon?" Uncle Rhodey had asked, gesturing for her to come over to the sofa, and he'd lifted her up onto her lap, head resting on his shoulder, him wrapping a blanket around her.

"Please."

So he'd changed the channel to a Star Wars movie and together they'd watched in silence.

"What if he doesn't come home?" she finally asked, feeling a stab of terror at the thought. She would be alone and she loved her daddy so much and she didn't know what she would do without him. She already had to live without her mommy. And even though it had been almost a year, that still hurt. Some nights she would have nightmares, or worse, dreams where her mommy had still been alive. Then, when she woke up, the pain would hit again, and she would cry into her pillow while JARVIS played her soft music or told her stories until her daddy came into the room to sit with her.

"He will, Pen. He always does." Uncle Rhodey reminded her.

"Mommy did too," she sobbed, giving in to the tears, and he pulled her close, resting his chin on her head.

"Shh, baby. It's okay. He'll come home. He's not going to leave you." He rocked her, hand firm on the back of her head, keeping her safe, movie forgotten. But he didn't know that! How could Uncle Rhodey know that?

Her daddy had left that morning after getting a phone call. He'd been half in the suit before she'd been able to hug him, and he'd gripped her right. "Alright, Penny-pie. Uncle Rhodey is going to stay with you while I'm gone, okay? I've got to go…"

"Save people?" she'd asked, peering up at him, and he had crouched in front of her so that he was at eye level, hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, sweetie. I have to go save people. So you be good for Uncle Rhodey? Okay?"

"I will," she'd promised, solemn, and he'd smiled, cupping her cheek in his hand.

"I know you will. You're the best thing I ever made, you know that?" He had kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment. "I hope you know that, baby girl. I love you."

"Love you too, daddy." And then he'd been flying off, her hand in Uncle Rhodey's. The two of them had watched TV and he'd taken her to the secret, only for her playground outside, and then they'd played hide and seek for a while, but the whole time she'd been thinking of her daddy. He'd looked scared. She hadn't thought that her daddy could ever be scared. He'd never been scared before...not that she'd seen. He was really good at being a superhero.

The noise on the balcony had them both sitting up, and Uncle Rhodey sat her on the sofa, holding up a hand. "Stay here, Pen," he ordered, then took off toward the balcony doors. Crying in earnest now, she curled up in a ball on the sofa while Uncle Rhodey and her daddy spoke softly in the other room. He was home...but why wasn't he coming to see her? Was something wrong? Was he hurt? She was vaguely aware that he could be hurt saving people. He'd gotten bruises or cut up before...but he'd never been so late coming home and he'd never not gone straight to her when returning from being Iron Man...even when she was asleep, he'd wake her for just a moment to tell her hello.

"Penny? Hey, kiddo. What are you doing awake?" 

She looked up from where her face had been buried in her knees and gave her dad a frightened, watery-eyed look. "Don't cry, baby." He tried to comfort her, but he was limping a little, face covered in cuts and bruises, and he didn't bend down to hug her. He just stood up too straight, face set in a grimace.

"Daddy?" she asked, and he tried to smile.

"Yeah, baby?"

"You're hurt," she whispered, and he nodded a little, reluctant.

"Yeah. But it's not bad. Just got a little banged up. I'm fine. I promise." Her dad eased himself down onto the sofa beside her, putting a hand on top of her head. "Don't cry, honey. It's okay."

"I was afraid you wouldn't come back." He scooted a little closer, easing an arm around her, and she hid her face in his shoulder, barely daring to touch him.

"It's just a couple of broken ribs, Pen. Don't worry. I just have to rest for a while. You can keep me company, right?" She nodded. "Good. Alright. Uncle Rhodey wants me to get looked at. You'd better go to bed. It's way past your bedtime." She didn't want to go to bed. Didn't want to leave his side...but she was also terrified that she would hug him too hard and hurt him, or lean against him and hurt him. "Go on, honey." He took Uncle Rhodey's hand and let the man pull him to his feet, and she hopped up. "Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She hesitated, and he cupped her cheek. "You think you can tuck yourself in tonight? You're a big girl now, right?"

"Okay." She whispered. She was a big girl. She was seven. Seven was old enough to put herself to bed. But...but she wanted her daddy. Wanted to stay close to him. Didn't want to leave his side. If she went to bed, he might disappear again. But he was asking her to go to bed. Asking her to go to bed on her own like a big girl.

"I love you, Pen. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Crawling into her bed, she curled up into a ball under her covers, lips trembling as she tried not to cry. Her daddy was hurt. He was hurt and he was going to keep getting hurt and...what if one day, he didn't come back? "JARVIS?" she asked. Her daddy had told her that she could talk to JARVIS if she was ever scared, or even if she just wanted to play with him. The two had spent several late nights playing ISpy while Penny tried to fall asleep.

"Yes, Penny?" he asked.

"Is my daddy okay?"

"Boss appears to have two broken ribs and several bruises." She was silent and his voice softened. "Your father will be just fine with bedrest and pain medication. He is being checked on by a doctor right now."

"What happened?"

"I am not authorized to give you that information," JARVIS told her gently. There were a few seconds of silence. "Would you like me to play you some music, Penny?"

"Yes, please." So he did, soft music filling the room as she rested. It took awhile, but she finally fell asleep, not waking until sunlight streamed in through her window. JARVIS opened her blinds as she started to stir.

Good morning, Penny."

"Morning, JARVIS," she told the ceiling, sitting up in bed and looking around. "Where's my daddy?" Her dad was almost always the one to wake her up for breakfast and he always helped her get ready for school unless he was on a business trip, during which her sometimes-nanny Aunt Natasha would come over. She could get dressed by herself and brush her own hair and teeth...she was seven years old! But it was strange that her daddy wasn't there.

"Boss is currently in bed where he has been ordered to rest. Would you like me to wake him up, Penny?"

"No...is he okay?"

"He is fine," JARVIS assured her gently. Then she got an idea. Her daddy always made her breakfast. Now she could do it for him!

"Can you help me, JARVIS?"

"Of course, Penny."

Still in her pajamas, she padded into the silent kitchen, looking around almost nervously. She was usually never alone. Then again, she wasn't really alone. She had JARVIS! "Can you tell me how to make daddy breakfast?"

"You are not allowed to use the stove without an adult present," he reminded her. 

She frowned at that, thinking.  "What about the toaster?" 

He paused for a moment.  "That would be allowable as long as you are careful." So, opening the freezer and pulling out a box of waffles, she put two in the toaster, then found the butter and syrup, smothering the only slightly burned waffles with them. Then, putting it all on the plate, she carefully carried it, walking so slowly she almost wasn't moving, down the hall and into her daddy's room.

"JARVIS, is he awake?"

"He is. He is watching TV, Penny. The doctor told him that he needed to remain in bed."

Balancing the plate in one hand, she pushed his door open with her other, and her dad looked up with surprise that melted into a smile. "Hey, kiddo. JARVIS didn't tell me you were up."

"Penny wished to surprise you, sir," the AI told him.

"Yeah? Come on over." He invited, holding out an arm, and she came over, concentrating all the while until she reached the bed and could hand him the plate. He took it carefully, then gestured for her to join him. She hesitated. "Come on up, Pen. You're not going to hurt me." He promised.

The coaxing worked, and she climbed up into the bed, sitting several inches away and being careful not to touching him. "I'm okay, honey. I promise. Thank you for breakfast." He put it on the bed beside him, then hooked a finger under her chin, bringing her face up to look at him. "Talk to me, Pen. What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to be Iron Man anymore," she whispered, ashamed of saying it and scared he'd be angry. But he'd rarely been angry with her, and he never yelled. This was no exception. Instead, he looked impossibly sad, and that was worse. He seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to. Instead, he wrapped his arm carefully around her, pulling until she scooted right against his side, his nose in her hair, holding her close.

Years later, when her father got a call from her best friend telling him that she'd left her Homecoming dance and was in danger, after he tracked her down and found her crushed under a warehouse...after he arrived just in time to watch, desperate and helpless as she lifted the whole thing off of herself and climbed out, coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the rubble, she would remember that conversation. She would remember telling him that she didn't want him to be Iron Man anymore, and his whisper, several minutes later, that sometimes he didn't want to be Iron Man anymore either, but that he didn't have a choice.

At that moment, surrounded by concrete and ash and blood, she would understand. She would understand that she could never stop helping people, just like her father could never stop helping people. And after they stopped the man trying to steal her father's plane, he took her down into his lab. In the familiar room that smelled of motor oil and science, she expected the dressing down of all dressing downs. She'd disobeyed him. Liked to him. Snuck around behind his back.

Instead of yelling, he pointed to a chair, demanding an explanation in a haunted, terrified voice. So she gave him one, sitting in a chair she'd sat in a hundred thousand times before. She explained the field trip and the flu and admitted to sneaking out of their penthouse apartment in Manhattan after curfew every night. She also admitted to programming FRIDAY never to tell him. And she expected him to tell her that he didn't want her to be Spidergirl anymore. She waited for him to demand she never scare him like that again. That she was grounded for the rest of her life and that he was going to be homeschooled from now on and that he was disappointed. That last one would have been the scariest.

But he didn't do any of that. He just sat there, head in his hands, eyes red-rimmed and jaw tight. He was afraid, she knew that much. He was so afraid. She knew that he had Pepper, and Uncle Rhodey. He had Vision. And he had his robots and science and all the things he loved. Until very recently, he'd had the Avengers, and they had all been like a big, mismatched but wonderful family. But he told her all the time, she was this number one priority. She was the thing he was proudest of. Everyone knew it. And she'd been reckless. She'd put herself in danger. Finally, on that day in the future, she would stand up, moving to sit beside him, and he would wrap his arms around her in desperate fear, hands shaking. "I'm sorry. I couldn't...I couldn't not try to help."

"I know," he would finally whisper. And then, in the lab, both of them covered in dirt and blood, he would lead her over to the large tablet on one of his workstations, bring up a new file, typing in the words 'Spider Suit.' "If you're going to do this, you're going to do it right."


	4. Skip Westcott

****WARNING: This piece includes some inappropriate behavior toward a minor.****

Penny had been excited about third grade. Her teacher was really nice...Ms. Tenison was everyone’s favorite. The older kids said she sometimes brought in jelly beans and gave them out to whoever got their answers right on tests. Ned was in the same class as her, and they were even allowed to pick their own seats, unlike second grade when they’d had a seating chart.

Her dad had brought her on her first day, walking her into the class, her hand fitting reassuringly over hers as she’d trotted along beside him. Ned had already been in one of the seats in the front and she’d sat down in the desk beside hers on the end, right by the windows. While her dad had said hello to her beautiful, smiling new teacher, she and Ned had shown each other their new backpacks and pencil boxes and, most excitingly, pens! They were allowed to write in Pen in third grade English which generated an excitement that would confuse Penny later on when she looked back on those days.

Her dad had gotten her a set of pens with Star Wars characters and all of her pencils had science beakers on them. She even had an Iron Man eraser that Aunty Nat had gotten her. “Daddy, it’s you!” Penny had cried, holding it up excitedly, and he’d chuckled, putting his tablet down and kissing her hair.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

The first day of third grade was great, full of new kids and new worksheets and rules. Uncle Happy picked her up from school most days, and on Fridays, Uncle Rhodey would get her and take her out for ice cream. It was their little secret. The only thing she actually kept secret from her daddy, but she knew it wasn’t something he’d be upset about and she suspected he actually knew already.

Her dad had told her to never keep secrets from him. He insisted he wanted to know everything. Everything. He wanted to know if the secretaries were ever mean to her or if anyone ever hurt her. All of it. So she told him, even when he was busy. He was never upset…not with her.

They had music class on Mondays and Tuesdays and art on Thursdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays, they had extra recess. The schedule was posted on the wall, and music was definitely her favorite. Her dad has already started to teach her to play the piano and read music, and she loved it. Art was okay...she wasn’t great at it. But music was her favorite at first.

Mr. Westcott was her music teacher. He was really nice, and he was impressed that Penny could already read music which was more than most of the kids in her class could do. Ned didn’t like him much but she wasn’t sure why. They didn’t really talk about it. But Penny always had a good time in music class and was hoping that her dad would be impressed when she got even better at playing the piano. Maybe in Middle school, she could even join band!

Three weeks into the school year on a Friday afternoon after lunch, Penny’s class sat in their music classroom, each of them in a chair, recorders in hand. The room was filled with loud music, most of it off-key, but Penny could play pretty well. They had been doing worksheets and learning which music notes were which and how long you played them for and all that. It was something Penny was pretty good at, but actually playing instruments was even better. So she sat beside Ned and waited her turn when Mr. W asked them to play one at a time. She got an A.

After class was over, Mr. W asked her to stay behind, and as she sat in her seat, the rest of her class lined up outside the door, Ned throwing her worried glances until he disappeared through the door, and then she was alone with Mr. W.

She’d been alone with men before. Plenty of times. Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy were alone with her all the time. Her dad too. Mr. Fury a time or two. And she never felt worried...but her dad had told her to never stay in a room with someone if they made her uncomfortable and he had given her permission to leave a room and find someone to help her if she was ever alone with someone she didn’t like or who was trying to hurt her. But Mr. W wouldn’t hurt her, right? He was always nice to her!

Mr. W stood up from his desk and gestured for her to follow him. She did, passing his desk, then pausing when he gestured for her to step into his office.

There was no reason for that to make her worry...no reason that she should be wary to be alone with him.

But she was.

She stepped into his office, hands behind her back, eyes on the ground, then sat down when he pulled a chair out. He pulled his own leather rolling chair over close to her, hands clasped on his lap, and she smiled. “You’re very talented in music, Penny. Did you know that?”

“Um...yeah...I mean...thank you, Mr. Westcott. My dad teaches me...he taught me to play the piano.”

“Oh. Does he play?” 

Penny nodded.  No one really knew who her dad was other than Ned and her main teacher...her last name was still Parker. He’d asked if she wanted to change her last name, but hadn’t ever pressured her to. He’d promised that it was okay if she wanted to keep her mom’s last name. So she had. He said later that it was probably for the best that people didn’t know that he was her father...it might draw too much attention. She didn’t want a lot of attention, so she agreed. “Yeah. He’s really good.”

“What does your father do?”

“He...he works for a company,” she told him, confused when he rolled his desk chair closer to her, hands on his lap, legs so close that their knees almost touched.

“So I guess he’s gone a lot.” Mr. W asked, putting a hand on her knee. “That must be hard.” She frowned. Her dad had put his hand on her knee before. So had Uncle Rhodey. Uncle Happy. Auntie Pepper. But this man...his hand squeezed and moved up her leg and she wanted to get away.

Her dad wasn’t gone a lot...not really. Penny shook her head. “No...not really. He has business trips sometimes but he’s usually home by six.” She squirmed back a little and he squeezed her leg a little harder. “And he’s always home on weekends unless he has to go out of town.” She babbled. The man nodded.

“You know, I think you’re my best student. A lot better than everyone else.” She thought about Ned and tried to pull away again, but Mr. W put a hand on her shoulder. She wasn’t better than everyone else...everyone else was good too. They were all doing their best! They just hadn’t been working for as long as she had. “How would you like to have private music lessons with me after school?” He wondered. “I can send a letter home to your dad.” He squeezed her shoulder, then let his hand trail down her arm. She didn’t like it. Didn’t like any of this.

“No thank you," she murmured, shaking her head. 

He leaned in closer, resting both hands on her legs now, fingers squeezing her thighs.  “Are you sure? I think I could teach you a lot about music. We can even play the piano together.” She shook her head.

“My dad can teach me,” she told him simply.

For a moment, he looked upset, and his fingers squeezed even tighter. Too tight. She clenched her jaw, staring down at his hands but too afraid to move. She was so much smaller than him...if she made him really mad, he might hurt her. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I think it could be a lot of fun. Why don’t you let me talk to your dad? See what he thinks?”

“Okay,” Penny whispered.

“Good.” He let go, patting her leg, then scooting back. “Well, you’d better get back to class.” She stood, nodding and hurrying toward the door. “Oh, and Penny?” She turned around, trying not to give in to the desire to run. “Don’t tell your dad just yet...let’s make it a surprise. Okay? I don’t think he’d be happy if he hears that you didn’t want to have extra classes.”

“Okay.”

Back in class, Penny felt her stomach churning. This wasn’t right. She knew that. Knew that none of her teachers had ever acted that way. Had ever hurt her. But she didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. Didn’t want to admit that anyone had hurt her. It felt like she should have done something. Like she should have made him stop or yelled or screamed or something. It wasn’t like they were alone. And it wasn’t like he’d really hurt her very much.

Uncle Rhodey picked her up from school, and she pretended that she was fine. They went out to ice cream and she told him about her day. He listened but seemed worried, and when she took a break from talking so that she could take a bite of her chocolate ice cream, he spoke up. “Hey, Penny, you okay?” he asked, and she paused, swallowing her ice cream and nodding.

“Mhm.”

“You sure, kiddo?” 

She nodded again, trying to look as if she meant it, and even though he didn’t seem convinced, he dropped it.

That night at dinner, seated between her daddy and Auntie Pepper, she picked at her lasagna, barely eating a bite, and, as always, her dad noticed. “You’ve been quiet, honey. Everything okay?” He asked, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. She nodded, trying not to flinch. This was her dad. He’d never hurt her. Never. Even when she got in trouble, he never, ever hit her or even yelled much. Ned had told her once that his dad spanked him when he was bad, and when she’d tearfully asked if he was going to spank her the next time she’d gotten in trouble (for staying up reading long past bedtime) he’d gone kind of pale.

“What?” he’d asked, sitting beside her on the bed, a gentle hand landing on her back.

“Ned...Ned says that his daddy hit him when he was bad...that he spanked him. Please don’t hit me. I won’t do it again,” she had sobbed. 

Her dad had wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.  “Hey...don’t cry, baby,” he’d murmured, lips pressed to her head. “It’s okay...hey.” She’d looked up at him, struggling to meet his eyes. “No. I’m not going to hit you. Ever. Okay?”

“Ned said…”

“I’m not going to hit you,” he had cut her off, wiping a thumb under her cheek to brush a tear away. “Ever. I promise.” Her dad run a finger across his chest, crossing himself. “Cross my heart, hope to die.” She’d managed a smile at that. “My dad...he wasn’t very nice. He hit me sometimes,” he had admitted, resting his chin on her head. “I’d never do that to you.” There had been fear in his voice, and she’d wrapped her arms around him, her own fear forgotten.

“I’m sorry, Daddy," she’d whispered, and he’d kissed the top of her hair.

So she didn’t have to worry about that. Her dad always kept his word. He wouldn’t hit her. Ever.

“I’m just tired," she lied. 

Her dad pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, frowning.  “You don’t feel warm. You want to go to bed?” 

F iguring that was better than trying to pretend she was okay, she nodded. So she headed off to her bedroom, crawling into bed, and managed to hold out for about an hour and a half. An hour and a half of lying in bed, wiping tears from her eyes, and fighting with herself.  Her dad had told her to always tell him if something was wrong. But she closed her eyes tight, head hidden in her pillow. She was embarrassed. Ashamed. She should have done something! Instead, she wanted to sleep and pretend it had never happened. So she closed her eyes tight.

Then she went to find her dad.

He was in the labs according to Jarvis. Dressed in fuzzy pajamas are bare feet, she padded to the elevator, taking it down to her dad’s lab. The doors slid open, and her dad barely glanced up from where he was drawing something, the gentle glow of his arc reactor lighting up the immediate area in front of him. “Daddy?” She asked, and he frowned at his paper.

“Hey, baby. What’s wrong?” he asked, erasing something with his pencil.

He’d told her to tell him when something was wrong.

She wasn’t supposed to keep secrets from her dad.

“I...I think I need to tell you something.” 

Her dad glanced up at that, putting his pencil down.  “Yeah?” he asked, turning in his chair to face her. 

Penny nodded, and he grabbed a chair, looking serious.  “But...I’m afraid to,” she admitted, dropping her eyes. 

He patted the chair again, and she went over, sitting in the chair across from him.  “How come?” he asked, gentler, but still serious.

“Because...I’m scared you’ll be mad.” He nodded, staring down at his clasped hands for a moment. “You...if I tell you...do you promise not to get mad?” 

He gave a soft chuckle.  “I’m afraid I can’t promise that, baby,” he murmured, reaching out and taking one of her hands. “But I can promise that, no matter what, you’re going to be okay.”

Was that enough?

“Was it something that happened at school?” 

Penny nodded, biting her lip hard, eyes getting hot. 

“Did you do something to get in trouble?” 

She shook her head.  “I don’t think so.” Penny whispered. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, waiting. “I was in music class,” she finally told him. “Mr. Westcott...he asked me to see me after class…” A tear finally dripped down her cheek and he tugged on her hand a little. Without any more prompting, she climbed into his lap, letting him hold her close, her head resting against his chest.

“It’s okay. You’re not in trouble, baby. Just tell me what happened,” he urged.

“He...he said I was the best in his class and he had his hands on my legs. He asked...asked if I could stay after school for piano lessons and I said no and he got really mad and was squeezing my legs and hurting me so I said I could and he said he’d talk to you but he told me not to tell you and I’m not supposed to keep secrets from you unless they aren’t bad like how Uncle Rhodey always takes me out for ice cream on Fridays,” she finished in a rush, another tear dripping down her cheek, and he held her tight, not moving or speaking for a long time. “I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have…”

He shushed her, rocking her a little and rubbing her back. “Hush, baby. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.” He sounded mad. Furious.

“I’m sorry. You’re mad…”

He shook his head. “Not at you, baby girl. I’m not mad at you. You did the right thing telling me.” Her dad kissed her hair. “Can I see? Where he hurt your leg?” She nodded, pulling the loose legs of her pants up, showing him the marks just above her knees. There were bruises now, little purple and red marks in the shape of fingers. He pressed his lips tightly together, pulling her pant legs back down. “Is that all he did?” 

Penny nodded. 

“Okay. I’m going to take care of this.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“No. You’re not in trouble. You didn’t do anything wrong, baby. He shouldn’t have done that, and he’s going to get in a lot of trouble.”

“But...he’s a good music teacher.” Her dad went still at that, dropping his head so that his forehead was on top of her hair. She was crying, she realized. Shoulders shaking, she sobbed as she tried to get the words out. “He was nice and he...he was good at teaching us music and I liked him! Why did he…” She trailed off, letting him pull her close.

“I don’t know, baby. I don’t...some people...they just...they act like good people and...sometimes people start out good…” He sounded so helpless...so sad, that she tried to stop crying. Standing, he kept her in his arms as he walked over to the sofa in the corner of his lab. He lay her down on the couch, covering her with the blanket he kept there for her. “There are a lot of bad people in this world, baby. And I wish I could stop every one of them. But I can’t...I’m going to stop this one, though. Okay?” 

She nodded, and then he was typing on his phone, looking serious and angry once more.  He stayed with her on that sofa until Uncle Rhodey came downstairs, the two of them talking softly, and then Uncle Rhodey came over to the sofa, sitting down and running a hand over her hair.

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” he asked as her dad headed upstairs, phone clutched in his hand. 

She shrugged.  “Uncle Rhodey?”

“Yeah, kiddo?” he asked, voice and face soft. Kind.

“I told Daddy about the ice cream. I’m sorry.” 

He snorted, shaking his head and tugging gently on a strand of her hair.  “That’s okay, hon. He already knew. I don’t keep secrets from your dad either.”

Later that night when her dad returned to carry her up to bed, his hands were both bandaged, redness staining the white cloth covering his knuckles. 

“Daddy?” she asked, half-asleep, head resting on his shoulder. “What happened to your hands? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, baby. I’m fine. Just go back to sleep.”


	5. Wormhole

Penny wasn’t supposed to be here. She knew that. For four years now, she’d lived with her daddy, first in California, then in New York. And she knew that she wasn’t supposed to be here. Her dad had given her very specific orders…stay with Pepper. In the tower. In the safe room. Do not leave the safe room for any reason. No reason at all. Not until he or one of the Avengers came to get her. That’s what he’d told her, kneeling in front of her, hands on her shoulders, eyes dark and serious before he’d left the room to deal with Loki, whoever that was.

“Is Loki going to hurt us?” she’d asked, glancing over at Pepper, and her dad had shaken his head.

“No. No, baby, he’s not going to hurt you. I just…I’ve got to take care of this and then I’ll introduce you to the Avengers, okay? I promise.” 

She hadn’t liked his tone…hadn’t liked the way he kept glancing back at the door. Scared. Worried. Her dad was never supposed to be worried. He could take care of anything.  “Dad…” She had whispered, feeling herself start to break. She hadn’t wanted to lose him…hadn’t wanted to be forced to face the rest of her life without her father. The thought was unimaginable. Unbearable.

“Kiddo, I’ve got to go.” He’d been dressed in a suit, not his armor, and she’d gripped his sleeve. Suddenly, her whole body had been filled with terror. Absolute, utter terror. He was leaving. Leaving to fight. She didn’t want him to fight. Didn’t want him to leave her like her mom had left her. Sometimes he got hurt when he was Iron Man and she hated it. Hated every second of it. Her father should never be hurt.

“Don’t go. Please…please, Daddy, don’t go!” she had sobbed, the tears coming out of nowhere, and she’d held on tight to his sleeves even when he’d pulled her into his arms. “Don’t leave me. Daddy, please don’t leave me!”

“Baby…” he’d whispered, sounding absolutely broken as he’d knelt in front of her once more, pulling her close. “Baby, I have to.”

“No.” She’d shaken her head, nose in his neck, gripping him with every bit of her strength. After a moment, he’d stood, scooping her up and carrying her over to the bed. He’d wanted to get her and Pepper out of the city…she’d heard him telling Pepper before. But something about it being too late…she wasn’t sure. Still, he had carried her over to the bed and had sat down with her in his lap, face buried in her hair.

“I’ll be back, Penny,” he had finally promised, pulling away just enough to rest his forehead on hers. “I promise, baby. I’ll be back. I’ll introduce you to the new team…they’d love to meet you. And then we’ll go out for ice cream. Okay?”

“I don’t want ice cream,” she’d sobbed. “I just want you to stay.” 

Her dad had sighed, pressing a kiss to her nose, and then one to each of her cheeks, then finally her forehead.  “I love you. So much. You know that right?” She’d nodded, still crying. “I’ll be back. I promise. But I have to take care of this.” So, giving her one last kiss to her hair, he’d left her with Pepper.

The building had shaken, and Penny had huddled on the bed under the covers, ignoring Pepper who had sat beside her, stroking her back. She knew she was too old to be crying like this, but he was her daddy and she didn’t want him to leave her. She didn’t want to be alone again. Didn’t want her dad to die. She’d already lost her mom. Already lost everything else. But her dad…he didn’t seem like someone who could die.

Her mother hadn’t either.

Pepper had to take a phone call. She’d stood up, hesitantly opening the door to the safe room and stepping outside.

And Penny had run.

She knew better. Knew that her father was going to be furious with her. But she had to get to him. He could be as angry as he wanted but she had to find him. Of course, he’d never really been angry with her before, but still. She had to find him. Grabbing her cell phone from her pocket, she had overridden JARVIS (something her dad didn’t know she could do but was probably about to find out), racing through the hallways into the kitchen which was practically destroyed. The huge windows were broken and Then she’d taken the elevator to the first floor, leaving her father’s building and stepping out onto the streets of New York.

The city was in ruins. She’d never seen anything like it. Suddenly feeling very small, she looked around at the familiar street made unfamiliar by rubble and overturned cars and…there was someone in one of the cars. Someone with blood pouring from their head and pooling on the ground underneath them. She looked away, feeling sick and terrified, but didn’t go back inside. She couldn’t. Not until she found her dad.

Her dad had started letting her walk to Delmar’s with Ned after school on Fridays. Of course, she had a special whistle and a cell phone and a bracelet that tracked her location at all times and she was pretty sure her clothes had trackers in them too and Happy was always, always on call. Her dad had stressed that over and over. Plus she had to text him when she got to Ned’s and when they were leaving the house and when they got to Delmar’s and when they got back to his house and about fifteen times in between. And the shop was only two blocks away from Ned’s house.

Of course, she was grateful that he let her go out with Ned sometimes. He was usually more overprotective…but he was starting to loosen the leash a little. She’d had sleepovers at Ned’s place and MJ’s too. Was allowed to do after-school activities. But wandering the streets of New York alone was definitely forbidden.

She didn’t care.

Crouching behind the cars and looking around at the mostly deserted streets, she pulled out her phone and brought up JARVIS. “Find my dad," she ordered, and after a few minutes of calculating, a map appeared on her screen, a little red dot blinking several blocks away.

She’d never walked out on the streets alone. She’d never been so far from the tower alone without her dad knowing. Pepper could realize she was gone at any time and freak out.

She ran.

Feet slamming into the pavement, arms pumping, she ran. She had to find her father. Penny didn’t care that he was going to be furious. Didn’t care that she was going to be in so much trouble…more trouble than she’d ever been in before. Didn’t care that, for the first time ever, she might actually get grounded.

She had to find her dad.

Following the map, she ran as fast as she could, but no one was around. The streets were practically empty. She had never seen New York like this. Nearly silent. But she could hear noises…getting closer and closer. According to the dot on the screen, she was almost there.

When she turned the corner, the first thing she saw was the Hulk. Huge. Green. Angry. Barely ten feet away from her. When he turned to face her, his head was nearly as big as she was, and he glared down at her, eyes narrowed in what she had to assume was angry. He was huge, with meaty fists the size of her body.

She screamed in surprise, scrambling back and falling to the concrete, hands burning where they scraped on the ground.

Suddenly there were more people looking at her. A man with a shield. A man with a bow and arrows. A man with a hammer. They all turned to face her, the man with the hammer standing from where he was crouched beside someone…her dad. He had been crouched beside her dad who lay on the street in full armor, not moving.

He wasn’t moving.

She felt like she might throw up.

The man with the hammer was coming closer, looking worried, but all she could see was her dad. In his suit. Lying motionless on the street. “Dad!” The word died in her throat. She couldn’t breathe right. Couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d promised to come back for her. “Dad!” She screamed for him, jumping to her feet, stumbling, then catching herself only to be held back by the huge green creature that wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from approaching.

“No! Let me go!” she screamed, squirming in his arms. But she was no match for him. More surprising was the fact that he wasn’t hurting her. In fact, he was just holding her. Gently. “Please. Please….my dad…”

“Hey.” The man with the hammer approached, hands up, while the one with the shield stayed by her father. “Hulk, careful.”

“Hulk no hurt girl!” The Hulk practically roared. Or maybe his voice was just so loud because he was holding her so close.

“Okay…okay,” the man murmured. “Just…be careful with her. Are you alright?” he asked Penny. She didn’t care what he was saying…didn’t care that the Hulk was holding her back. She had to get to her dad.

“My dad…I have to…my dad…” she sobbed, squirming again in the Hulk’s hold. The other man, the one with the shield, stayed by her father, looking grim and afraid. “Please! Dad!” she screamed, and the man put the hammer down, coming a little closer, hands slightly raised as if he was worried about being arrested.

“You need help finding your father? Are you lost?”

“Let me go! Please, please let me go! Daddy!”

“Penny?” Natasha stepped into view then, eyes wide. What was her Aunty Nat doing there? Was she an Avenger too? “What are you doing here? Hulk, let her go.” The huge green man did as she asked and Penny hit the ground hard, scrambling up before the man who had sat down his hammer could try and help and racing toward her father. Ignoring the man with the shield, she dropped to her knees beside her father, the skin on her knees tearing under her jeans, and grabbed his arm.

“Daddy? Daddy!” she screamed, shaking him. He didn’t react. “Please…please, Dad! You promised! You promised you wouldn’t leave me!” It hurt. Just like when her mom had left her. Just like those first few days with her daddy. It hurt, deep in her stomach, and her throat ached from crying and he couldn’t be gone. Couldn’t be dead. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t lose her dad. It wasn’t fair wasn’t fair wasn’t fair she couldn’t do this! “Please. Please don’t go,” she whimpered, gripping his armor, fingers useless against the metal.

Silence. Dead silence from every one of the Avengers who stared at her in absolute shock other than Natasha who approached slowly, the Hulk following. “Penny…honey, you shouldn’t be here,” the woman told her, her voice barely a murmur.

“No…no!” she screamed when Natasha knelt beside her as if to pull her away. “Daddy! Wake up! Wake up, please!”

“Nat, what’s going on?” the one with the shield demanded.

“Penny, he wouldn’t want you here. Not right now.” the woman tried to reason with her.

“I don’t care!” Penny shook Natasha’s arm off, then looked up at the man with the shield. Captain America, she realized. This was Captain America. “Help him. Please…please, Mr. Captain, help him! Please!” He looked helpless all of a sudden, staring down at her father, then at her. Giving up on him, she turned to the others. “Please. Please help him,” she sobbed. Everyone stared down at the ground other than the Hulk who met her gaze, huge eyes sad. “Please. Can’t you help him?” She didn’t know why he wasn’t moving…didn’t understand what had happened. He was her dad! He was Tony Stark…Iron Man! Iron Man could do anything! But he wasn’t moving. Wouldn’t open his eyes.

She couldn’t do this.

The Hulk suddenly charged toward them, looking furious as he lifted his huge fists, and Penny cowered, hiding against her father’s side. Captain America started to lift his shield, but the Huk didn’t hit her. Instead, he lifted his fists and slammed them into the concrete, the impact shaking all of them and jostling her father’s body as the creature…man…Hulk roared. The noise he made was too loud, making Penny cover her ears…but then her dad was opening his eyes, gasping for air, a hand going to his chest.

“Dad?” she whispered, and her father’s wide eyes went from staring at the Hulk to staring at her.

“Penny?” He matched her tone, looking around at the assembled Avengers who all stared at him, eyes huge. He took in his teammates and the destruction…and Penny. Penny was the one he stared at the longest, mouth open. “Penny, what the hell? What are you doing here?” he demanded. Penny threw her arms around him, not caring that he was upset. He didn’t exactly sound angry, but he didn’t seem happy either. She didn’t care. Angry, upset, disappointed…she could take it. All of it. As long as he was still alive.

“I thought you were dead,” she whimpered into his neck, her whole body shaking so hard she could barely talk. “I thought you’d left me.”

He sighed, sitting up and pulling her into his lap, the metal cold on her skin. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “Okay, baby. It’s okay," he murmured, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “I’m here…I’m right here, baby. I didn’t leave you.”

“I thought you were gone. I don’t want you to go….please…please, Dad…”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m here.” She felt his lips on the top of her head, rocking her back and forth a little in the middle of the street while the Avengers all watched. She was too old for this, she knew. Too old to cry like a baby. But he was her dad and he was all she had left.

“Tony…do you have a daughter?” Captain America asked after a minute, and she could practically hear her dad roll his eyes.

“No, Spangles. Just met this kid today. Hey, kid, what’s your name?” 

She giggled through her tears, and she felt him kiss her head again. He was okay. Her daddy was safe.

“I do not understand…Stark, is this not your child?” The man with the hammer sounded concerned and her dad laughed a little, sounding breathless. Hysterical, just like she felt.

“It’s a joke, Point Break. This is my daughter.” His metal-covered hand stroked her hair, gently working through a knot as he tucked her head under his chin. “Pen?”

“Hm?” she sniffed, wiping her eyes but not relinquishing her grip on his neck.

“You want to meet the Avengers?”

Not really, to be honest. All she wanted was her dad. She wanted him to take her home and hold her and promise that he’d never leave the house again and never put on this awful, terrible suit again. But first her mom, then her dad had taught her to be polite, so she nodded.

“Well, you already know Natasha.”

“Hi, Aunty Nat,” she whispered, turning her head a little and waving at the woman who crouched down in front of her, reaching out and wiping a thumb over her cheek.

“Hi, malyshka,” Natasha murmured. “This is my friend, Clint.” She gestured toward the man holding the bow who came to stand beside Natasha before crouching as well. “He has a little boy about your age.”

“Hello.” Penny tried to get her voice above a whisper, her throat still tight and painful.

“It’s nice to meet you, Penny.”

“You too.”

Her father stood, arms still around her as he kept her close, and Natasha and Clint stood too. “Pen, that’s Captain America.” He gestured toward the man with the shield who held out a hand, face solemn and also very nice. Open. Captain America held out a hand and she took it.

“Hello, Penny. I’m Steve Rogers.”

“Hi, Mr. Rogers.”

“You can just call me Steve,” the man invited with a smile, shaking her hand up and down once, fingers gentle on hers.

“And this is Thor. He’s from another planet.” 

Penny’s eyes widened, and she was intrigued against her will.  “Really?” she asked, looking up at the huge man who immediately came to kneel in front of her, smiling as he rested his elbow on his knee, holding out his other hand to shake hers. His hand practically swallowed her tiny one.

“It is an honor to meet you, daughter of Stark.”

“You too, Mr. Thor.” She wiped her eyes with the one he wasn’t holding, self-conscious about the fact that she was still shaking. Still afraid.

“Hulk meet girl!” 

Her dad put a hand on her shoulder, everyone turning to face the Hulk who was standing on the sidelines, looking put out.  “Uh…” He hesitated, looking down at Penny, then at Hulk. “Maybe later, big guy.”

“Hulk no hurt Penny!”

“Yeah, I know, but, uh…” 

Penny wiped her eyes again, trying to calm her shuddering breaths and taking a step forward, holding out a hand that looked ridiculously small compared to his, ignoring her father’s hesitation. She wasn’t a baby, no matter how scared she had been that her father was…

She couldn’t even think it.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Hulk.” 

The Hulk smiled, engulfing her hand with a shockingly gentle one. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He’d been careful with her and he’d saved her dad…he was like a giant green teddy bear.  “Hulk Penny’s friend.” The Hulk announced, and she grinned back at her dad who smiled, reaching out and resting a hand on top of her head.

“Yeah? Well, I guess he’s a good friend to have. Wait until you meet Banner. He’s great too.” Pulling her closer, he held her tight against his side, and Penny wrapped an arm around him. “Alright…who wants shawarma?” He asked, and Captain America chuckled, shaking her head. “What do you think, Pen?”

“What is it?”

“No idea. I’ve always wanted to try it though.” 

Nodding, she followed her daddy and the Avengers as they tried to find a restaurant that was still open. She didn’t know what shawarma was, and she didn’t care. She didn’t care how much trouble she was going to be in once her and her dad were alone, and didn’t care that she’d probably lose at least her cell phone privileges. As long as her dad was safe, she didn’t need anything else.


	6. Sick Christmas

It had been almost a year since the Avengers had come into their lives...almost a year since their family had gotten a lot bigger. Eleven-year-old Penny (nearly twelve now) curled up miserably in her bed, refusing to cry. Not on the night before Christmas Eve. Her dad sat beside her, running a hand through her hair and sighing softly. She knew he didn't want to go! She wasn't a kid anymore...she understood that his work was important. She'd always known that, no matter how much he told her that she was more important. She still remembered those first few weeks...how her first nanny had told her that he would get angry with her if she bothered him...how she was supposed to be quiet and stay out of the way so that he wouldn't get upset.

Sometimes she thought she saw her daddy looking around her always-spotless bedroom or he'd find her in her room, silently putting together a LEGO set in the corner, always careful not to get any LEGO bricks out in the middle of the floor, and he'd look sad. Upset. And she'd ask if he was mad and he would always reach out for her, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her cheek. "No, baby. I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?" She would always shrug, resting her head on his shoulder, and he'd rub her back.

She knew that her father loved her. She knew that this was her home...that the penthouse in New York with everything she could ever want was the best home in the world, and that her daddy would always want her. He'd always be with her. But there was still some tiny part in her brain that warned her to be careful.

Her mom had died.

At first, her dad hadn't spoken to her, and her nanny had told her to stay quiet. Stay out of the way.

So if she kept her room clean and put her toys away and never threw fits and always made sure that her daddy was happy with her, there would be no problems. And usually, it wasn't a big deal. She was really good at school and she and Ned never got in trouble. Her teachers liked her, and so did Pepper and Uncle Rhodey and she was always very careful never to leave a mess or be too loud. Her daddy let her work in his lab with him and she was extra careful to always pay very close attention so she could be as good as he was one day.

And her dad was always happy with her, so apparently she was doing something right.

Now, with a stuffy nose and a cough on Christmas Eve, she felt like her whole world was crashing down. "Baby, I'll be home for Christmas. I promise," her father murmured, and she knew that this was bad. What if she couldn't stop crying and he finally got angry with her? When she'd overridden JARVIS and left the tower to find him during the battle of New York, he'd been pretty upset, but he hadn't yelled at her. He'd just sat her down and explained, surprisingly calm, that she couldn't do that...that he couldn't ever risk losing her. And she'd agreed, knowing that she'd do it again if she had to. Still, he'd taken away her phone for a month and updated JARVIS. She was sure she could crack him again but had decided to wait a while to try.

"It's just in DC...I promise I'll be home by Christmas morning. If I leave now, I bet I'll be home by tomorrow night. Just in time to tuck you in."

It wasn't fair. She wanted her dad to be with her on Christmas Eve! He always took her out and they'd spend the day together and just the thought of missing that made the tears come. She pressed a hand to her mouth to keep them in, but his soft sigh told her that he'd heard. "It's okay. You can go." She whispered, and he scooted over on the bed, lifting her up easily and pulling her into his lap. "I'm going to be home by Christmas." He promised as she hid her face in his shoulder, sniffling and hoping he didn't know that she was sick. "And the day after Christmas, we'll spend the whole day together. I promise." She felt him kiss her hair, then pull away, running a finger under her eyes. "Okay?"

She nodded, and he kissed her one last time. She threw her arms around him, cheek rubbing against his scratchy beard, and he squeezed her tight. 

"Alright, baby girl. Get some sleep. I'll see you soon. Pepper is going to be here with you tomorrow. I'll bet the two of you can do something fun." And with that, he was gone.

It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with Auntie Pepper. She loved Auntie Pepper...but she wasn't her dad. Christmas Eve had always been special...just her and her daddy. Before the Avengers and all the extra meetings he had to have with Mr. Steve and Uncle Rhodey and Auntie Nat and Mr. Clint, he'd had more time to spend with her. And she knew that he would be upset if he knew how much she missed him, and she didn't want to get in the way of his job...so she did her best to fall asleep that night, hoping her cold didn't get any worse.

It got worse. When she woke the next morning, her throat ached and her head ached and it was Christmas Eve and she was sick. Turning her face into her pillow, she did her best not to cry. She was too old to cry over dumb things. She knew that she would be fine and she'd have plenty of time to spend with her dad…

But that's what she'd thought about her mom.

Pepper entered the room a few minutes after she woke, immediately concerned as she pressed a hand to Penny's forehead. "Hey, Pen. You feeling okay?" Penny shook her head, miserable and exhausted, and Pepper crouched down beside her. "How long have you been feeling sick?"

"Since last night," Penny murmured, glaring at the blankets.

"Alright. Let me take your temperature." Penny was left in sullen, miserable silence while Pepper hurried into the other room, grabbing the thermometer, then sticking it under her tongue. "100.1." Pepper murmured. "JARVIS?"

"It appears that Penny is suffering from a cold. I would suggest plenty of rest and fluids."

"Alright." Pepper smiled, looking relieved. "How about some juice?"

Pepper was always nice, and she was always happy to spend time with Penny. She knew that her daddy loved Pepper and that one day, he might marry her. That was fine with Penny...but at the moment, she just wanted her daddy. So she shrugged. "Penny?" The woman asked, pushing some of her hair back. Penny was silent, and Pepper straightened. "Okay. Why don't you come in the living room? You can lay down on the couch and watch TV, and I'll make you some breakfast." Penny shrugged again, but let herself be led into the living room and onto the sofa where she lay, surrounded by pillows and blankets. "Do you want to call your dad?" Pepper asked, leaving a glass of orange juice and a bowl of oatmeal on the coffee table.

Penny nodded, sitting up a little, and Pepper pulled out her cell phone, sitting beside Penny and holding it to her ear. It only rang for a moment before Pepper was talking. "Hey, Tony…" There was a pause. "Yeah...everything's okay. Um...Penny's a little sick." She glanced over at Penny who was watching her anxiously, ready to talk to her dad. "Yeah. Just a cold. She has…" There was a pause and Pepper pressed her lips together. "Tony she…" More silence, and then Pepper sighed. "Okay. Call back soon, okay? She really wants to talk to you. Okay...I will. Love you. Bye."

Penny stared down at her blankets once more, hands clenched in her lap. "He had to get back to his meeting...he promised that he'd call as soon as he could, okay?" Penny nodded.

"Okay."

"Alright." She pushed the bowl of oatmeal closer. "I'm going to get some paperwork done, okay? I'll be in the office, so tell JARVIS if you need anything."

"Okay." Pepper hesitated.

"Are you sure you're okay out here alone?" Penny nodded. She was a big girl, not a little kid. She could stay by herself for a while. It didn't matter that her daddy was busy on Christmas Eve and it didn't matter that she was sick. It was fine. She was fine. So Pepper left her to her breakfast which she ignored, and when JARVIS asked if she would like to watch TV, she said no, scooting down on the couch and wrapping herself in blankets, burying her face in a pillow and crying as softly as she could.

She felt like a baby. Why was she crying about this? She knew that her dad would make it up to her. And she knew that they would get to spend more time together...unless they didn't. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. But she was sick and hot and cold at the same time and she missed her dad and it was Christmas Eve! It was their day!

It wasn't that long before a huge hand rested on her back, and she went still, eyes closed tight, holding her breath to keep from making any noise. "Young Penny?" The voice asked, and she hurried to wipe her eyes under the blanket before pushing them back and looking up at Thor. "Good morning, young Penny."

"Morning Mr. Thor," she murmured, knowing that she was supposed to be polite but not wanting him to know that she had been crying.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. She shrugged, staring down at her lap. "Why don't you tell me what's the matter?" The giant man moved to sit beside her and she curled up in her seat, still covered in blankets. "Pepper informed me that you were ill." She shrugged again, knowing that she wasn't being polite, but too miserable to care. He'd probably go away soon if she didn't talk to him. "Alright. If you don't wish to talk, maybe you would be willing to help me." That caught her attention, and she looked up at him, sniffing and wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. "I was admiring one of those small brick sculptures on your father's desk and he informed me that you were the best at putting them together. I was hoping you might instruct me."

She blinked, her sluggish mind struggling a little to keep up with his overly formal words. He had gotten a lot better, actually. Still, she was tired and sick and probably still had a fever. Once she'd put all the words together, she nodded. "Um...okay. I can help." He smiled.

"Excellent. One moment." He jumped up, hurrying into the other room, then returning with an unopened box. It was a LEGO kit that, once finished, would be a small version of her dad's tower.

"That's the tower!" she cried, pointing at the Avengers sign. Where had he gotten that?

Thor grinned, nodding.

"Indeed, it is. I thought that this would be an excellent first project."

Forgetting temporarily about her misery, Penny drank her juice and helped Thor put the tiny pieces together, doing her best to focus on the instructions. He was a good listener and followed her instructions, seeming content to work for nearly an hour before a coughing fit left her dropping the instructions and covering her mouth. There was a brief silence and then he put the half-finished sculpture on the table along with the box and the instructions, resting a hand on her back.

"Perhaps we should take a break," He suggested softly, and she was furious with herself for the tears that, once more, filled her eyes. There was nothing to cry about! She'd been having fun! "Penny?"

"Okay," she whispered. An arm draped hesitantly around her shoulders and, giving up on not crying, she turned her face into his side, throwing her arms around him and crying in earnest.

"Penny? What's the matter?" he asked.

"I…" She shouldn't say it. She knew that. She knew that her daddy was busy and she should just be quiet and wait patiently for him to come back...but she didn't want to! "It's Christmas Eve and Daddy and I always spend Christmas Eve together but he's not here and I'm sick and I want Daddy." She sobbed, feeling like a baby, and his arms wrapped around her, one rubbing her back.

"Alright," he murmured, wrapping the blanket around her and holding her close. "Why don't you tell him? You have his phone number, right?"

"Because he's busy and he has to have meetings and I don't want to ruin Christmas," she cried, too sick to be embarrassed.

"Why would that ruin your holiday?"

"Because my old nanny told me that I was supposed to be quiet and not bother him when he was working." 

"Where is she now?" Thor wondered.

"She...Daddy fired her. He said...he said she wasn't a very good nanny." She closed her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. Penny understood where he was going with his point, but she was still sick and still missed her dad. "We always spend Christmas Eve together." She whispered.

He hummed, nodding his head. "And what would you do together?"

"He...he takes me to the park and we build snowmen and then...then we would go ice skating. We would get Chinese food together, and then watch movies."

"Can you do those things after Christmas?" Thor asked, voice soft. She shrugged. Arms still around her, he held her close, and even though he wasn't her dad, he was comfortable and warm. She took a deep breath as he rubbed her back, pausing when she started coughing and pressing a glass of water he'd gotten somewhere into her hand. Penny took a long drink, then sighed, curling up more comfortably to his side. Thor sat back against the sofa, keeping his arm around her, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders.

"He said...he said we would."

"I have not known your father for very long, but I am sure that he is a man of his word." Then he began to fun soothing circles into her back and she released a breath, slumping against his chest. That was the last thing she was aware of until she heard voices later.

"Still sick?" Someone asked. Pepper. It had to be Pepper.

"She's very warm." Thor's voice was deep and rumbly, her ear pressed to his chest. The TV was playing softly in the background. A cool hand rested against her forehead.

"Do you want me to take her? I can put her to bed..."

"That isn't necessary. She seems comfortable." Curled up against his chest, she shifted a little, and he pulled the blankets more firmly around her.

"Can you get her to drink this?" Then there was something being held to her mouth.

"Penny?" the deep voice urged. She hummed. "You need to drink this." She did, swallowing the thick liquid, shuddering, then fell asleep once more.

Voices woke her again later, but she didn't move or try to open her eyes. "How long have you been her pillow?"

"Nearly five hours." Thor didn't sound upset...actually, he seemed amused. She didn't care...she was comfortable. "She told me that she did not want to ruin Christmas by calling you and letting you know that she was ill...that she wanted you to come home." There was a long silence, and someone moved...she didn't bother opening her eyes to find out who.

"We talked to a child psychologist after she came to live with us. Well...Pepper called him." Everything was fuzzy...why were they talking right beside her when she was trying to sleep? "He mentioned that trauma in girls looks different than in boys a lot of the time. I did a bunch of stupid shit for attention after my parents. Girls sometimes turn into people pleasers. That's what Pepper thinks happened to Penny. Her room is spotless, her grades are perfect...she almost never asks me for anything. Pepper thinks we should have her talk to a therapist...I keep hoping…". The person sighed, trailing off.

"Trauma?" Thor asked.

"Losing her mom the way she did...and then she saw me almost die during the battle of New York...Pepper thinks it's all had an effect on her. And...I think she might be right." Her dad released a long breath.

Wait...her dad? Was that her dad? She groaned, trying to wake up, and a hand pushed some of her hair back. "Dad?" She asked, forcing her eyes open, and she found her father sitting across from her and Thor on the coffee table.

"Hey, baby. You awake?" 

Penny nodded, reaching out for him like a little kid. Immediately he pulled her into his lap, lips pressed into her hair.  "I missed you." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"I know. I missed you too."

"Wait...you came back?" She pulled away. "What about your meeting?"

"I told them my kid was sick," he told her simply, and she heard Thor stand up, a hand patting her quickly on the shoulder.

"Feel better, young Penny. We can finish the small sculpture later," the man told her before leaving them alone in the living room. Then her dad moved over to the sofa, carrying her and holding her in his lap, pulling the blanket back around her shoulder when the cool air made her shiver. She burrowed closer to her father.

"Why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick?" Her dad leaned back on the sofa where Thor had sat and pressed his hand to her forehead.

"You had to go to a meeting. For the Avengers." 

"Kiddo, I want you to tell me when you're sick," he told her quietly, smoothing her hair back. "I need to know these things."

"I didn't want to interrupt your meeting."

"You're more important than meetings, Penny. More important than my work and more important than the Avengers...you're the most important thing in the world to me. Okay?" She nodded, and he smiled. "Alright. Let's get you some medicine, then I want you to hop in the shower while I make you something to eat. Then we'll watch some Christmas movies. How's that sound?" 

Penny smiled, nodding and squeezing him tightly, face hidden in his shoulder.  "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, baby girl." He held her just as tightly for a moment, then sat her on her feet. "Alright. Medicine, shower, movies. Then, when you're feeling better, ice skating in the park and Chinese food. How's that sound?"

"Good."

He grinned. "Good."

That evening found the two of them laying on the sofa, her resting against his chest, both of them covered in blankets. On the TV, Frosty the Snowman played softly, and Penny felt her breathing evening out. "Hey Pen?"

"Hm?" she asked, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"I love you. You know that, right?"

"Mhm...I love you too."

"And...I'll always love you. No matter what. Nothing you can ever do would make me love you less." She did open her eyes at that, turning a little to look back at him. "Even if you didn't get good grades in school or got in trouble or your room was messy...even if you're upset or in a bad mood...I still love you. Always." Penny swallowed, not sure what to say to that. "And...I was hoping you'd come with me to talk to someone next week...about...well, about anything you want. What do you think?" He asked, nose pressed against the back of her hair.

She didn't know. She didn't really want to talk to a stranger. But her dad was asking her to. "Will you be with me?" she asked.

"Of course, as long as you want me to be." 

Penny thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

"Good." He pressed a kiss to her hair. "JARVIS, lights," he ordered, and all the lights in the living room shut off, leaving them in the gentle glow from the TV. "Alright, baby. Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning...just in time for presents." She heard the smile in his voice and felt herself smile in response. "I think you're going to be happy. You might just have some new things to build with Thor."

Penny thought about the mug she'd made for her father. Bruce has helped her make paint that would change color depending on how hot the drink inside was, and she'd painted an Iron Man mask on one side, and the words "#1 Dad" on the other. Pepper had helped her bake it and seal the paint, and even though she'd also bought her dad a couple of other things, that was the one she couldn't wait to see him open.

"Merry Christmas, Dad," she murmured, right before she drifted off, already dreaming of Christmas morning and ice skating with her dad.

"Merry Christmas, baby."

  
  
  
  



	7. Damaged

When Penny's dad had told her that he wanted her to talk to someone with him, she had assumed that meant he would talk to someone, and that she would be there. She had expected a meeting or something, where her dad would talk and maybe the other grown-up would ask how she was or how school was and then it would be back to grown-up talk.

She'd heard him and Pepper talking softly in the kitchen that morning, using words she couldn't quite make out, although she was able to catch a few.

Trauma.

Damage.

They were scary words, ones the eleven-year-old wanted nothing to do with. She didn't want to be damaged...didn't want her dad to see her as a problem...as someone who was broken.

The place that Penny's dad took her to a week after Christmas, after ice skating and Chinese food and movies had all happened, and after she and Thor had finished building her dads tower with LEGOs, was a small office building in a part of town she'd never been to. She sat in the back of his car, staring out the window at the strange buildings while Happy and her dad talked softly, mostly about Happy waiting with the car or driving around and maybe how they'd get lunch later.

It was a Saturday and school was starting up again that Thursday after New Years, which meant she and Ned could have a sleepover at his place on Monday. They had been texting each other about it all week.

Her dad pulled into the parking lot, and Happy opened her door for her, letting her hop out of the back seat. The man had been pretty quiet, but he smiled at her as she took her dads offered hand, trotting along behind him.

"So we're going to Doctor Hudson, but if you don't walk to talk about something you don't have to." He told her as they headed up the stairs into the building.

"Why does she want to talk to me?" Penny asked, skeptical. Grown-ups didn't usually want to talk to her unless they were her dad's friends, which was fine with her. The Avengers were nice and everything, but most adults were boring.

"It's her job. She's a therapist." 

Penny frowned. She sort of knew that word, but not in any real sense.  "Why do you want to talk to her?" They stepped inside the building and into a waiting room at the doctor's office. There were brightly colored magazines and books and a few toys in a box on the ground. "Am I sick?" she asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach, looking up at him with wide, scared eyes, and immediately he shook his head.

"No, baby. You aren't sick. Sometimes people talk to therapists when something bad happens or…" He trailed off, squeezing her hand and leading her over to the front desk where a smiling woman waited. "I talk to a therapist. He's really nice. And it's nice to be able to talk to someone. I thought maybe you'd like it."

"Okay," she whispered, head down as her dad signed them in just like when they went to a regular doctor. Then he led her over to a chair in the empty waiting room, her curling up in the seat beside him.

"Do you want to read a magazine?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her. She huddled against his side, shaking her head. "You don't have to be nervous, baby. She's nice. I promise. And if you don't like talking to her, we can go get some lunch and go home. I promise." She looked up at him then, lips pressed together, then nodded. He kissed her forehead, smiling. "You're my brave girl, you know that?" He pushed some of her hair behind her ear. "But it's okay to be scared. I know this isn't something we've done before. I won't leave you though. Not unless you want me to."

He never lied to her. So she sat. And waited. And when the woman called her dad's name, she hopes up beside him, following along like a puppy. It struck her for a second that she would follow her dad anywhere.

The thought would strike her again, years later, as she would hold tight to the outside of a spaceship, wondering if she'd ever make it back to earth, but knowing that being with her father was more important.

She followed her dad into the back where a tall woman with dark skin and a kind smile waited, holding out a hand. "Mr. Stark. It's very nice to meet you."

"And you as well, Dr. Hudson. You can just call me Tony."

"And you must be Penelope." She held out a hand to Penny who took it, manners overriding shyness.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Why don't you both follow me." She suggested, leading them into a room the color of the sky in the morning, all bright blue with clouds on the ceiling, and a long sofa against one wall. In front of the sofa was a coffee table with paper and crayons for little kids. Her dad sat down on the sofa and she sat beside him, the doctor taking a seat across from them in a rolling chair.

"So, Penelope. Would you prefer to be called Penelope or Penny?" Surprised that the woman was already only talking to her, she fought the urge to look over at her dad. She could talk to the doctor by herself.

"Penny."

"Alright, Penny. My name is Amanda. Do you know what I do?"

"You're a therapist."

"That's right." The woman spoke softly, calmly, and it reminded her of her dad. She started to relax a little, breathing a little easier. "A therapist is just someone you can talk to. About whatever you want. Sometimes people like to talk about the things that make them sad or the things that worry them. And sometimes they can give people medicine to help them feel better." Penny nodded to show that she understood. "So. Let me tell you a little about myself. I live here in New York, but I loved from San Francisco a few years ago. I am married, and I have a dog. I like to watch movies and go jogging in the park." She paused. "What about you?"

"Um...we live in New York. I'm in 6th grade...and...I like to build LEGOs with my friend and help my dad in his lab."

"That sounds like fun. What do you do in the lab?"

"I watch him builds things like his suits."

"That sounds very interesting. Have you always lived with your dad?"

It was a common question, one she'd answered offhandedly a thousand times. But this time, she felt her heart rate speed up. So she just shook her head. "When did you move in with your dad?"

"When I was six," she whispered. Almost six whole years ago...practically her whole life it felt like. But there had been a life before him. A life with her mom, who she barely remembered anymore.

The therapist didn't dwell on that. Instead, she went back to school and Ned. LEGOs. Whether or not Penny got along with the Avengers. If she had fun with them. And since her dad was there, Penny had no trouble talking.

The sessions continued every week for a while, and then, after a month, her dad suggested he wait in the waiting room. "You can call if you need me. I promise." He told her softly, sitting beside her in the room.

"Okay." She shrugged, not too worried. She was eleven now...she could be away from her dad to talk to a doctor, especially since she knew this doctor. So when the time came, she followed the woman into the room and sat down, well aware of her father's absence but coping fine.

"So, your dad mentioned that you had a nanny when you first came to live with him." Amanda started, sitting back in her chair. Penny was curled up on the sofa against a pillow, comfortable and cozy. But she didn't like thinking about that woman...the one who'd been there when she'd first arrived.

"Yeah."

"Do you know how long she worked for your father?" Penny shook her head. It had seemed like that woman had been in charge of her for weeks, but she wasn't sure how accurate that was. She'd been little and every day had lasted forever. "Did you like her?" Penny shook her head again. "What was she like?"

"She...she wanted me to be quiet and out of the way."

"I see. That must have been difficult. You were little...and you were probably used to having more attention." 

Penny shrugged. She didn't want to talk about the old nanny or her first few days or weeks with her father.

The subject of her room came up a few weeks later. Penny hadn't told anyone that she was in therapy...not Ned or any of the Avengers. Mostly the questions were nice and easy and Penny was happy to talk to her. It was almost fun to talk to a grownup that talked to her like she was a grownup too. So when Amanda asked about her room one day, she didn't see any harm in telling her that she made sure her room was neat.

"Why is that so important to you?" Penny frowned, not sure what kind of question that was. Ned's mom always got mad when his room was dirty.

"I don't want to make dad mad." Amanda furrowed her brows.

"Does he get angry with you when your room isn't clean?" Penny shook her head.

"No...I mean...it's always clean."

"What if it weren't?"

"It...it always is. I make sure my room stays clean."

"Why is that so important?"

"It just is," Penny snapped, glaring down at her lap, eyes suddenly hot.

The admission came not too much later. "I'm afraid of making him mad." 

Her therapist nodded. " It must be very difficult to worry so much about making your father mad. What happens when he gets mad?"

Penny sniffed, hating herself for crying. She was eleven. There was nothing to cry about! "He doesn't get mad at me. Not really."

"Okay. That's good. What do you think would happen if he got mad?" She shrugged. "Let me ask a different question. What are you afraid would happen if he got mad?"

"I'm…". Penny swallowed hard, her voice a whisper. "I'm afraid he won't want me anymore."

There was a short silence. Then Amanda leaned in. "Have you ever been angry with your father? When he wouldn't let you do something?" 

"Kind of."

"When you were angry, did you ever think that you didn't want him to be your dad anymore?" 

Her eyes shot open, head snapping up.  "No!"

"Why not?"

"Because...he's my dad! I love him!" She thought about time spent with her dad...of working in his lab and watching movies and dancing in the kitchen. She remembered waking up in a hospital room with him at her side when she'd fallen and hit her dead. She remembered the first time he hugged her and the first time he swung her up in his arms and put her on his shoulders.

Years later on a dead planet so far away, she would remember these same things as her body turned to dust, her eyes locked on his, tears running down both of their cheeks.

"Penny, do you think your dad feels the same about you?"

And with a tear finally escaping, she nodded, staring at her lap, hands clasped in her lap. Of course, he loved her.

Her dad came into the room then, sitting on the sofa beside her and gathering her into his arms. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered, arms clasping his neck. 

He held her just as tight.  "I love you so much, baby. You're the best thing I ever did."

And years later, as his daughter disintegrated in his arms, those same words would get caught in his throat, and she would drift away without hearing them.

But she would still know them.


	8. Peer Pressure

"Hey, Dad? Is it cool if I stay at Ned's tonight? We've got a big project to work on and his mom already said it was okay." Penny's hands almost shook as she spooned cereal into her mouth, doing her best not to look up at him. He would know. Surely he would know.

"Huh? Yeah, sure kiddo," her dad muttered, not looking up from his phone. This whole accords thing, plus the fact that the rogue Avengers were still 'at large' or whatever, meant that he was busier than ever. Not that he didn't pay attention to her or anything...she understood that he was busy. He always made time for her. But one of the guys on the Decathlon team was having a huge party that night and Ned insisted that this was their second (third? Fourth? Eighteenth?) time to be cool. Honestly she'd thought that being the daughter of Tony Stark might have won her some cool points at a school dedicated to science and technology, but apparently not.

Anyway, Ned had begged her and begged her and, sure that her dad wouldn't let her go to a party where there would almost certainly be drinking, she'd decided to tell him that she was going to Ned's. No, it wasn't her best idea. But she was pretty confident that she wouldn't be caught, especially considering how busy he was these days. Sighing in relief when he left the room, still on his phone, Penny went back to her cereal, glancing down at her backpack which, for once, didn't have her suit. There would be no patrolling that night. No saving the citizens of Queens. Just stupid teenage fun. And maybe one drink. Her metabolism was crazy fast these days, so she wasn't too worried about getting drunk or anything. It would be fun. Her and Ned and MJ would all hang out and she could feel like a normal teenager again.

The plan was to meet MJ then catch the subway to the party which was happening in a house close to the suburbs. From the subway station, they would take an Uber, then get an Uber back to Ned's where she would spend the night. Instead of her suit, she had a change of clothes in her bag...and a little makeup bag with some stuff Pepper had gotten her for her fifteenth birthday that she'd barely used in the six months since she'd gotten them.

It had been 4 months since she'd gotten caught lying to her dad about the whole 'spidergirl' situation. And already she was going to lie to him again...but this wasn't a big deal. Just normal teenage stuff. She was sure he'd done worse when he'd been her age...not that she was going to bring that up.

As soon as she finished her second bowl of cereal and cleaned up, she grabbed her backpack, hurrying over to the elevator and making sure her phone was charged, she hopped in. "Fri, can you tell my dad that I'm leaving for school?"

"Of course, Penny."

"And can you also remind him that I'm going to Ned's tonight and that I'll see him tomorrow?"

"Yes. Have a good day at school, Penny."

"Thanks, Fri!"

Penny had been on the subway for about ten minutes when her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, heart stuttering when she saw that it was her dad calling. Had he figured it out? Had he called Ned's mom? Did he know? Hands shaking, she hit the green button and held it to her ear. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Hey, kiddo. Didn't get to tell you bye."

"Oh...um...that's okay."

"I just...I'm sorry I've been so busy lately," he told her, and she felt the guilt start to bloom in her stomach.

"No...Dad, it's fine. I know that with the Accords and everything…"

"You shouldn't have to worry about that, kiddo," he told her sounding sad. But of course, she worried. Of course, she was hurt. Of course, Steve had betrayed her father and broken her heart, no matter what her dad said about 'two sides' and 'still friends' or whatever. And she just wanted to forget about it. To go to a party and be with her friends.

She hadn't been there...but she'd seen her dad when he'd come home. Sure, she'd been doing her best to hide her powers from him at the time, and doing a pretty good job, But she'd seen the bruises on his face and the sling on his arm...and she'd cried. His face had dropped and he'd wrapped her up in his good arm, stroking the back of her head, but she hadn't been able to stop. "Kiddo...it's okay…." he'd promised. "I'm fine."

She'd shaken her head. "But Steve...he…"

"It's fine, kid. We're going to get through this."

They hadn't yet.

"Pen?"

"Yeah." She jerked back to the present, wiping a hand over her face. "Yeah...I know. I just…"

"Kid, are you okay?" He cut her off, voice gentle.

"I'm fine." She promised.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much, Pen." She shook her head. She didn't want him to feel guilty. Not over her. Not now...not when she was about to go to a party behind his back. "Hey, how about tomorrow, we go out to dinner and have a movie night. Just you and me?"

"I...I mean...yeah, dad. That sounds great. But you don't have to…"

"Start thinking about where you want to eat, okay? Do you need a ride home tomorrow?"

"No...no that's okay. Um...I can take the subway."

"Alright, Spiderling. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

And with that, she dropped her head against the back of the seat, sighing and pocketing her phone once more. Then she pulled it out again, sending Ned a quick text. "Are you sure about tonight?"

She got one back immediately. "Of course! It's going to be fun! Don't chicken out now!"

Then one from MJ right after. "Ned said you were bailing on us? WTF dude?" She groaned, grabbing her backpack and hurrying off the train to her stop, then running up the stairs. It wasn't that she didn't want to go to a party...she wanted to feel normal for once. It had been such a long time since she'd done a normal-teenager thing. And she knew that her dad was stressed out and that things were bad at the moment...but he wasn't going to find out. She would feel a little guilty, she was sure, but she'd get over it.

In the end, she didn't back out. MJ did her makeup and Ned wore a hat, and the three followed through on their plan, taking first the subway and then an Uber until they reached the house where the music was already too loud for Penny's enhanced senses. Still, she walked inside with her friends, not about to be the reason they had to leave before they even went in.

The music hit her like a brick wall as soon as Ned opened the front door, and she flinched as they stepped into the house. The last party she'd been to had been the one before Homecoming...Ned's mom had dropped them off and her father had been...well...maybe 'upset' was too light of a word to describe how her father had reacted when he'd found out that she'd left the party on her own. She'd come home at two in the morning, soaking wet from the lake the Vulture had dropped her into that she almost hadn't gotten out of, and had done her best to come up with some half-assed story about falling into a swimming pool.

She didn't plan on drinking. Okay...maybe one. She got one solo cup full of...well, it was alcohol but she wasn't sure what was in it, and she took a sip, spending the first few minutes of the party with MJ, talking and hiding in a corner with Ned. Then Ned started talking to some girl named Betty and there was an ache in Penny's heart that she didn't quite understand. She didn't have any kind of romantic feelings for Ned! He was her best friend! Right? They had known each other forever. They still had sleepovers! And the last person she'd liked had been Liz. But watching Ned smiling and laughing as he leaned in close to that girl...that really pretty, smart girl that put a hand on his shoulder and laughed made her stomach turn.

She was jealous.

She'd never been jealous of Ned! He was her best friend!

She drained the cup and tossed it in the garbage, the pounding music starting to cause a corresponding pounding in her head. This wasn't fun. MJ curled up on a sofa, observing everyone else after a while, and Penny found herself beside the drinks table with Flash who smirked at her. "What's wrong, Penis? Scared to drink?"

"No. I already had some."

"Yeah right. I doubt Daddy Stark would be too happy with his baby girl drinking." He mocked. She rolled her eyes, ready to leave it, but he kept going. "I'll bet you've never had a drink of alcohol in your life. Poor baby Stark…"

"You know what. Fine." She snapped, grabbing another cup. She was sick of him and sick of his taunts and sick of putting up with him every day. So she threw the cup back, feeling a twisted sense of pleasure and pride when he cheered, laughing and throwing back his own cup. The alcohol burned her throat and made her head spin, sitting uncomfortably in her stomach. But she'd done it.

"Damn, Stark! Then again, your dad was pretty wild in his day, right? I've seen the Youtube videos. Guess he taught you..." Penny's hand shot out, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him closer so she could get in his face, the anger warring with the headache building in her skull.

"Don't you ever talk about my father." She told him softly, teeth bared, voice slurring a little. Thankfully she had an enhanced metabolism, so she hoped that alcohol would burn off sooner rather than later. Flash held up his hands, laughing drunkenly, and she wondered how much he'd already had.

"Alright, alright. Here. Chill out, Stark." He pushed another cup into her hand and staggered off, drinking his own cup full of whatever it was they were consuming. It was strong...it must have been, because when she tried to walk away, she stumbled a little, gripping the chair that had somehow found its way into her path.

She looked around the room but didn't see anyone she knew...well, not anyone she knew well. She took a swallow from the cup in her hand, flinching at the taste. It was gross, but she was getting used to it. When she'd drained the third cup, she tossed it at the wastebasket and missed, but she doubted she'd be able to bend down and pick it up, so she left it, stumbling away toward the living room. But pain spiked in her head as she walked and she felt her legs crumble, grabbing the wall to hold herself up. Thankfully, her fingers were sticky and she was able to balance against the wall for long enough that the dizziness passed.

She started walking again, finding herself in the bathroom where she closed the door behind her, turning the lock and leaning her back against the wall before slowly letting herself slide down. She wanted to go home...but she couldn't get home on her own...not at this point. She didn't have her suit, and besides, even if she had, she could barely walk, much less swing around the city. It would take forever to walk to the subway and she had enough cash for an Uber but she didn't want to take one alone, not while she was feeling so dizzy.

Curling up on the floor in the bathroom, she had to fight not to throw up. The music thumped, seeming to shake the room she was in, and she wondered if someone was going to call the cops on them. Her stomach rolled at the thought and she wondered if it was the fear or the alcohol making her sick. Ned was having a great time talking to some girl and MJ had disappeared somewhere and Penny felt tears fill her eyes. She wanted to go home. Everything hurt and she was shivering and she wanted to go home! This wasn't fun!

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, a tear finally escaping. Her dad was calling...and she had to answer. No way she wouldn't answer if she were at Ned's. Taking a deep breath and telling herself that she wasn't going to get herself caught, she answered it. "Hey kiddo, how's the...studying." Her dad trailed off, chuckling a little. "You guys might want to turn down the music unless you want the neighbors to complain."

"Right...yeah. I'll tell Ned." She told him, doing her best to keep her voice steady as her stomach rolled.

"Pen? What's wrong?" he asked, voice going very serious all of a sudden. Of course. She'd never been able to fool him when something was wrong...even when she'd started being Spidergirl he'd been suspicious, but he'd also been busy. At the moment, his entire focus seemed to be on her. She tried to lie again anyway.

"Nothing…"

"You're crying, Penny. What's the matter?"

"Just...uh...nothing." He was quiet, and she knew she'd have to come up with an excuse. She thought about Ned smiling at that other girl, something that shouldn't have upset her so much but did. "We just had an argument...it's fine…"

"I can come and get you," he told her without hesitating, but she shook her head, no matter how badly she wanted to go home.

"No...dad, I'm fine. It's...it's fine. We need to finish this project," she slurred a little, cursing her mouth for betraying her.

Someone pounded on the bathroom door and she put a hand on her mouth choking on a sob at the noise. Her head was getting worse. "Penny? What's that?" he asked, and she realized she couldn't keep lying to him. Not with her head hurting as bad as it was. She was going to have to tell him.

"Dad, I'm sorry," she whimpered, silently apologizing to Ned and MJ. He was going to yell, and not only at her. They were all going to be in trouble. But she didn't know what else to do!

"Penny, I need you to tell me what's going on right now," he demanded, voice low and serious. "Honey?" he prompted when she hesitated. She didn't want to tell him. But she didn't have a choice.

"I lied to you. I'm so sorry...I knew you wouldn't let me come and it was so stupid and I...I'm sorry, Daddy." 

He released a long breath and she felt her heart stutter. He was mad.  "Okay, Pen. I got the sorry part. What I need to know is where you are so I can come and get you."

"I'm at a party."

"Guessed as much from the music and the guilt. A party where?" She rattled off the address. "Alright. Stay on the phone, hon. I'm on my way."

"I'm so sorry, Dad."

"I know, kid. Did you drink anything?"

"Three," she muttered. "My head hurts...everything's too loud…"

"That's what drinking does for you, Pen. Remember that," he told her, voice terse, and she apologized again, voice faint. Pleading. "I know you're sorry, kiddo. Hang tight. I'm on my way. How are you feeling?"

"Bad," she whispered.

"What did you drink?"

"Three," she repeated.

"Three what, kid?"

"I don't know...three cups?"

"Yeah, okay," he muttered. "I'm about ten minutes out."

It was an excruciatingly long ten minutes, during which Penny had to drop the phone and found herself heaving over a toilet, doing her best to hold her own hair back, and afterwards sobbed, head resting on the toilet seat as she tried not to think about the fact that her head was resting on a toilet seat.

The pounding on the door continued and Penny forgot all about the phone on the floor beside her as she panted and sobbed, feeling gross and overwhelmed with the pain. She wanted her dad, even though he was mad at her. Even though she'd disappointed him. She'd disappointed her father. With that thought came old fears...old fears that she thought she'd left behind with therapy and years of reassurances. He wasn't going to love her anymore. She was going to lose him. She'd done something stupid and it was going to cost her her father. That pain was the worst...it was the pain she'd felt when her mom had died. That ripping in her heart, all-encompassing, burning outward from her chest to every extremity. She was going to be alone again. Alone. Her brain flashed to that morning when her dad had called her and suggested they watch movies together. What if she never got that again? What if he didn't love her anymore?

The sob almost choked her and she wrapped her arms around her torso, unable to stop. What if he didn't love her anymore? What if he didn't love her anymore? It was on repeat and she didn't know how to make it stop. She wanted her dad...she wanted him but not the him that was angry with her. The him that would wrap her in his arms and kiss her hair and call her his baby. How could she take all of this back? How could she go back to a time before she'd lied to him? Before she'd done something so stupid...again! Why would he want her after this? After she'd lied to him...again?

"Penny? Kid?" That was her dad's voice, and she wasn't sure how he'd managed to get inside the tiny bathroom, but he was rubbing a hand up and down her back, some of the ice from his voice melted. "Hey, kiddo. I'm here," he murmured, and she sobbed.

"Daddy...I'm so sorry…"

"I know, Pen. We'll talk about it later, okay? Let's get you up." He spoke wearily, and even as he helped her to her feet she cried, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry...Dad, I'm sorry!" 

His arms went around her then, one in her hair, the other between her shoulder blades, rubbing soothing circles. When he spoke, he sounded worried. Well...more worried than before.  "Okay. Okay, kiddo. Talk to me. What's going on? You snuck out to a party behind my back and did some underage drinking. That's bad, but it's not that bad. You're okay." He paused for a long time as she tried to control the crying, and he rubbed her back. "Honey, take a breath, okay. You're going to be fine. Did something else happen?"

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered again, and he shook his head.

"I love you, Pen. So much. You know that, right?" She was quiet. Why would he? She'd messed everything up! "Baby, I love you so much. You're the best thing I ever did. You're my little girl. Nothing you do is going to make me stop loving you, least of all you sneaking off to a party. You got me?" She nodded, still hiding her face against his shoulder. She couldn't really believe him, but he was saying it and maybe...maybe he meant it? He always forgave her, but she'd lied to him! And her head hurt and her stomach rolled and it felt like her life was crumbling around her. "Alright, Spiderling. Obviously, you're a sad drunk." He told her, voice wry. "Let's get you out of here."

She nodded, leaning heavily against him as he led her out of the bathroom, and from there it was a loud, painful blur from the bathroom to the car where she curled up in the passenger seat, head against the window, until her dad pulled the middle console up, tugging her over to rest against him. "How do you feel, Pen?"

"It hurts...it was so loud and my head…" she whispered. He rubbed a hand up and down her back. "I'm sorry…"

"Alright, no more apologies, Pen. We'll talk about it later when you're feeling better. I talked to Ned and told him that I was taking you home. I also told him to think very carefully about dragging you to any more parties."

"He didn't drag me," She protested, and he kept the hand rubbing up and down her back. "Don't be mad at Ned," Penny begged. He hummed but didn't answer. "Thank you for coming to get me."

He paused, then rested his head briefly against hers. "Baby, I'll always come and get you. No matter where you are, no matter what stupid thing you've done, I will always come for you if you need me. Okay?" She nodded, sniffing softly, and she felt his lips on her hair. "How's your head now?"

"Hurts."

"Here." He pressed a bottle of water from the side door cup holder into her hands. "Take a drink. It'll help." 

She did, taking a big swallow, then groaning when her stomach clenched.  "I feel sick."

"Like you're going to throw up?" She nodded. "Okay. Let me know before you do and I'll pull over." 

She hummed in agreement, closing her eyes until they got back to the tower, and he practically carried her into the building, arms firm around her as he scooped her up into his arms in the elevator. She managed to hold off on throwing up until she was in her bedroom, and then she made it about five minutes before throwing up all over herself, the bed, and her dad. Before she could sob out more apologies, he tossed her dirty blanket onto the floor and helped her into the bathroom so that she could clean herself up. 

"You want me to get Pepper?" She shook her head. "Okay. Get cleaned up. I'll wait for you out here."

She managed a shower somehow, then was able to change into her pajamas before stumbling back into her bedroom where her dad had changed her sheets and also his own clothes. Had she thrown up on him? She'd already forgotten somehow. She just wanted to sleep.

"Lay down, kiddo," he urged, helping her onto the bed where he covered her up, tucking her in like when she was little. "Don't cry," he murmured when tears started to fall again, running a hand through her hair and ordering Friday to lower the lights. "Try to get some sleep, okay? We can talk in the morning."

"I'm sorry, Dad...I shouldn't have gone…"

"You're right, you shouldn't have." He hesitated, jaw tight, then his face relaxed, a hand cupping her cheek. "But it's okay. I forgive you, baby. Just rest and we'll talk about it tomorrow."


	9. The Dance

The couple on the Youtube video swayed back and forth, hands placed on one another’s shoulders and hips and backs, and Penny shut her laptop, cheeks burning as she dropped onto the bottom bunk of her bed.

She could swing through the city fighting bad guys.

She could beat up muggers and stop armed robberies.

She’d helped her dad build her Spidersuit and his Iron Man suit...they were working on nanotech!

But she couldn’t dance.

It wasn’t that she’d never been to a dance! She’d...well, she’d been to about fifteen seconds of her Homecoming before she’d gone after her date’s father! Liz still hadn’t spoken to her...not because she’d taken down her father. Liz didn’t know about that. But because she’d stood her up. And then Liz had moved across the country with her mom, so...that relationship hadn’t even gotten the chance to start. So, no, there hadn’t been any dancing.

She’d gone to events with her dad and Pepper. And sometimes the grown-ups danced. But she rarely did, and never with anyone but her father. Pepper had danced with her father on several occasions, and a few times, her dad had pulled her out onto the dance floor, lifting her onto his feet, her blushing and laughing as he propped her hands up on his shoulder, dancing them around the room. She didn’t go to events for her dad’s company all that often, though, less and less as she got older. He still offered to take her...but she usually told him she had homework or plans or, lately, patrol.

When she had been little, seven or eight, her father would often lift her onto his feet and dance her around the kitchen, asking Friday to play them some music. And she would giggle and throw her arms around him and just...be. Just relish every moment she got with her father. There were also times when he couldn’t be there...when he had to be at business meetings or on trips. So on the mornings when he was the one to wake her up, they danced.

It had been almost a year since her disastrous Homecoming, and this year, Ned had asked her. Not as friends. He’d been really clear about that...he’d bought her flowers and gotten all red in the face and asked if maybe she might want to go with him...as a date. And then maybe go to dinner...as a date. He must have said the word ‘date’ five or six times. And, blushing just as hard as him, she’d agreed. But she hadn’t told her father and...she wasn’t sure how he would take it. Not that he didn’t like Ned! He’d known Ned since she’d been in elementary school. But...well, the last time she’d gone to Homecoming, she’d been threatened with a gun and crushed under a building. She wasn’t sure he’d want her going again. Of course, he knew that she could handle herself. Still, the memories were raw.

Getting up and pulling her hair back into a ponytail so she could concentrate, she opened her laptop and resumed the video, leaning against the back of her desk chair and tried to imagine dancing with Ned. Her cheeks got hot again and she placed her cool hands on her face, trying to make it stop.

She’d never thought too much about Ned that way until after shed become Spidergirl and the two close friends had gotten even closer, first because he was the only person other than Friday that knew her secret, and then because he was her guy in the chair. It had all come to a head a week or two ago when they’d been in her living room watching a movie on her laptop. Her dad didn’t care if she had sleepovers with Ned as long as they slept in their separate beds and all that...she knew that Friday was always watching, though.

They had been sitting on the sofa, The Lord of the Rings on the TV, when she had scooted over just a little toward him. Her taken her hand then, turning and smiling at her differently than he usually did...and then she’d kissed him.

Footsteps had approached from the hallway, and she’d sat back up, eyes wide, and, immediately reading the situation her sat up two, just in time for her dad to enter the room. “Hey, kids. What are we watching?” He’d asked, dropping a hand on Penny’s shoulder and smiling down at them. Thankfully the room had been too dark for him to see her burning cheeks.

The knock on her door jerked her back to the present and she jumped and spun around, slamming her laptop shut and staring wide-eyed at the closed bedroom door. “Pen? Can I come in?” Her Dad asked.

“Um...uh...yeah! Yeah, that’s….yeah.” He opened the door, eyebrows lifting at her. She was standing in the middle of the room, laptop shut, arms crossed.

“What’s up, Pen? What were you watching?” he wondered, seeming almost amused.

“Oh, nothing. I was just...cleaning.” His eyes strayed to her unmade bed, the pile of clothes on the bottom bunk that needed to be put away, and the candy wrappers on her desk. “I...I was about to get started.”

He nodded, and for one brief moment, she thought he was going to let this go.

Nearly ten years spent with her father should have taught her better. 

“Friday, what was Penny watching?”

“Dad!” she cried, cheeks getting hot again.

“She was watching an instructional video on how to slow-dance, boss.”

Furious and embarrassed, she stormed over to her bed and sat down, arms crossed. He gave a quiet chuckle that only made her angrier, and he approached slowly, lowering himself onto the bed, a hand on her back. “Come on, honey. It’s my job to make sure you're okay.” She turned her face away and his fingers gripped her chin, tugging gently until she was facing his direction. “Why would you be embarrassed about that? You know I’m in favor of using the internet to learn things. Better slow dancing than…I don’t know...drug dealing or....assassination.” 

She snorted a little.  “Auntie Nat would teach me that.” He chucked, pulling her closer, the tension broken.

“What’s going on, baby?” She sighed, deciding that he was going to find out anyway.

“I...I was going to the Homecoming dance with someone and...I just wanted to be able to dance.”

“Okay. No problem.” He hesitated. “So...are you going as friends, or…?” 

She blushed again.  “No.”

“Oh. So...who is it?” She mumbled her friend/maybe boyfriend’s name, and her dad lifted an eyebrow. “Not all of us have super-hearing, Spiderling," he teased.

“Ned.” 

He blinked, obviously surprised.  “Ned. Really?”

“Is...is it okay?” she asked, feeling insecurity and worry twist in her stomach like a knot.

“What? Of course it’s okay, Pen. Ned’s great. He’s your best friend.”

“I just...I went to the last dance with Liz and I thought...I just…” 

He smiled at her, gentle and kind like he always was when she was worried.  “Pen, you’re fifteen, kiddo. You go to school dances with whoever you want, as long as they’re good people. You’ve got your whole life to figure out who you like. Okay?” She nodded, giving a relieved smile. “Aright. I’ll have you know, I’m much better at dancing than YouTube.”

“People on YouTube, Dad. YouTube can’t dance.” She giggled, letting him pull her up and out of her bedroom, both of them heading into the living room.

“Whatever.” He guided her hand to his shoulder, then put one hand on her upper back. “If Ned’s hand goes any lower than this, you tell me.” She rolled her eyes, and he chuckled. “Friday, play something dancy.” As soon as that music came on, the memories came back. Mornings spent with her head against his chest, his voice strong and deep against her ear as he sang along with the music. His arms holding her close, standing on her tiptoes over his socked feet.

"You know, you’ll probably just end up swaying in one spot. I’ve seen teenagers at dances before. But it can’t help to learn,” he told her after a few songs. She nodded, doing her best to memorize the steps until she heard Steve’s voice.

“Why are we dancing?” He called from his spot behind the sofa, and her dad turned with a grin. It had been a year...a hard year, since Steve and the others had betrayed her father. Since the 'rogue Avengers' had disappeared. And only about two months since they'd been pardoned and come back, some of them moving back into the tower. It was still hard. But she'd loved Steve. He'd been like an uncle to her, and with him smiling at her like that, it was hard to remember how angry she'd been. How hurt.

“Penny’s going to a dance. With a date!” Penny blushed but Steve grinned, coming to join them in the room, holding out a hand and, when she took it, he tugged her away from her father and into his arms.

“And you asked him to teach you!?”

“I asked YouTube to teach me,” she clarified, making her father and Steve laugh as Steve led her around the room, one hand on her upper back, the other clasping hers.

“Who’s the lucky lady?” Steve wondered, pushing her away and spinning her around.

“Actually...I’m going with Ned,” she told him as he pulled her back. 

Steve nodded.  “It’s good to go to dances with friends. Sometimes it’s more fun.”

“Actually...not...not as friends.” 

His eyes widened just a little, and then he smiled.  “Ah. Is Tony going to give him the talk?” She shook her head, but out of the corner of her eye she saw her dad nodding.

“Dad, no!” she cried, but the man only grinned. “You didn’t give Liz any kind of talk!”

“I didn’t get the chance.” That was true. He’d been arriving home from a business meeting right after she’d had to leave, so Happy had driven her to Liz’s house.

“Dad…” he softened then, reaching out and catching her hand the text time Steve twirled, pulling her away from Captain America. The super-soldier relinquished her easily, dropping onto the couch and watching them with a smile.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. I’m not going to scare him off,” he assured her, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “Now...do you want Pepper to take you shopping for a dress?” For the most part, she avoided dresses and shopping with her family because neither her father nor Pepper would hesitate to spend lots of money on clothes for her. But this time, she nodded. “Alright. I’ll let her know.”

When the night of Homecoming came around, Penny was on the phone with Ned who was on his way via his mom as she curled her hair at her desk. “Also...my dad wants to talk to you,” she managed to confess at the end of the story of how she’d bought her dress.

“Wait...what?! What do you mean ‘talk to me?’” Ned asked, sounding suddenly terrified. This was why she hadn’t wanted to tell him!

“Just...talk. It’s my dad! You’ve known him for years,” she reasoned.

“Iron Man wants to talk to me! I’m dating Iron Man’s daughter...is he going to kill me? Was I supposed to ask his permission to ask you out?” 

Rolling her eyes at that image, she snorted and put her curling iron down.  “Iron Man doesn’t want to talk to you, Ned. Not unless you’re secretly smuggling alien weapons or something. My dad wants to talk to you. You’ve known him since you were six!”

“But...but I’m dating his daughter now! It’s different.”

Deciding that he wasn’t going to stop freaking out any time soon, she grinned at her reflection. “You’re right. He mentioned something about wearing his suit….”

“What!?” her boyfriend squeaked, and she laughed out loud.

“Kidding. You’ll be fine. Probably. See you soon!” With that, she hung up, wondering if she’d gotten some of her father’s wicked sense of humor.

She didn’t go downstairs right when Ned arrived. As funny as she thought his fear was, she was embarrassed. So she stood outside her bedroom door, super hearing working for her. “Ned. How are you?” she heard her father ask, his voice very stern and serious.

“I’m...um...I’m really good…sir...Mr. Stark, sir.”

“Penny told me that you asked her to this dance.”

“Yes...yes sir. I...I thought...well, we’ve been...getting closer... “ Penny smacked a hand to her face, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Not...not physically closer! I mean...she kissed me first but…” 

Silence. Total, dead silence and Penny felt her face catch fire.

“Ned…” she moaned under her breath.

“I just...oh god, Mr. Stark…”

“Alright, Ned. A few ground rules,” her father said, apparently throwing Ned a bone. “First, Penny is stronger than either of us. But if I find out you’re pressuring her to do anything she doesn’t want to do, we’re going to be having a much less friendly conversation. Understood?”

“Yes! Yes sir! Of course!”

“Second, have a good time.”

Silence. Then, “wait...what?”

“Ned, Penny’s a good kid. She’s smart and tough and she’s the best thing I ever did in my life. She has a good head on her shoulders and I trust her. And you’re a good kid too. If either of you ever need help, come to me. Otherwise, just have a good time at the dance with her, okay?”

“Yes sir," he murmured, and Penny smiled, leaning back against her bedroom door. He was the best father she ever could have asked for...and Ned was the best friend she ever could have asked for. Suddenly, she felt very, very lucky...the luckiest girl in the world.

“Alright, Fri, tell Penny Ned’s here.”

“Yes sir,” the AI answered, thankfully not ratting her out. She pressed her hands to her face, then, taking a deep breath, she grabbed her purse, hurrying out to the living room and felt her cheeks flush when both her father and Ned stared at her, mouths slightly open, eyes wide. Her father was the first to recover, and he moved over to place his hands on her shoulders.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. But he didn’t have to. His eyes said it all. He loved her. He was proud of her. She was the most important person in his universe. “You ready, kiddo?”

“Yeah.” 

He nodded.  “Good. First…” He led her over to Ned, pushing them to stand together and then pulling out his phone. “I need to take some pictures.”   
  
  
  



	10. The Snap

**(This is also one of my Irondad Bingo prompts)**

“Penny.” The girl opened her eyes at her name, staring up at what looked to be a pulsing yellow light. “Penny.” Someone knelt beside her, and memories came back quickly.

“Doctor…” She coughed, blinking up at the man. “Doctor Strange?”

She’d been in her dad’s arms...he’d been staring down at her in horror and so much fear. Looking around the strange desert where she lay on her back, she quickly found the others. Quill and the antenna lady and the...big one. With the tattoos. “It’s time to get up. We’ve been sleeping long enough,” he told her, holding out a hand, his smile surprisingly soft. “It’s time to go help your dad.”

Her dad. She’d been in his arms. He’d held her until she fell and his eyes had begged her not to leave him and then...she’d fallen asleep? Passed out? She didn’t have time to think about it as she stood, letting him pull her to her feet. Looking around, she tried to find her dad...he would be there, right? He’d been with her when she’d passed out. When she’d gotten dusty and felt herself...disintegrate. She’d turned to dust! The thought made her shudder. Her dad had held her and then she’d turned to dust and...she’d left him. And she had no idea how long it had been.

She didn’t see her father, but she also didn’t see Thanos. Just the name made her shiver a little as she stared up at Doctor Strange who watched her with a strange look on his face. “Where is he?” she asked, voice shaking. “Where’s my dad?”

“Wait...you’re Stark’s daughter?” Quill asked, pointing a finger at her, and she nodded, sniffing and crossing her arms over her chest, the thick metal of her suit reassuringly heavy. It made her feel solid. Like she wasn’t going to disappear again. Crumble away to dust.

_ I’m sorry. _

Those had been her last words to her father. She’d known that he would blame himself over this. That he would worry over her...that he’d never forgive himself for this even though none of it was his fault. And still, he’d just stared down at her, as if his hand on her arm and his eyes locked on hers could keep her there. In the end, the last thing she remembered was looking just past him to the sky. An unfamiliar sky...filled with strange stars against a hazy orange sky. She might have cried...she couldn’t remember. The last thing she’d seen was dust.

And then, a light. The light of a portal. Doctor Strange had started to make a portal. A golden light in a circle above the ground. “Are you ready?” hee asked her.

“Ready for what?” She wasn't exactly sure what was gone on. She’d been asleep and now she was awake and none of it made sense. But Doctor Strange was watching her, expectant.

“To fight him again. To help your father.”

Was she ready to fight Thanos again? To face that monster? No. Of course not. How could she ever be ready? But her dad needed her. And she was Spidergirl...she was a hero. So she nodded. “Let’s do it.” She whispered, glancing up at Quill and the other two, a slight smile on her face, but she knew her lips were trembling. That something terrible and strange had happened the first time they’d faced Thanos, and now they would have to face him again.

The portal opened, and Penny couldn’t believe her eyes. The ruins of a huge building that it took her a moment to recognize were the backdrop of a battle. The Avengers compound had been reduced to a giant pile of rubble, beams and glass laying everywhere. Gray and black were the only colors she could see...and bodies. Bodies of alien monsters and...Steve knelt on the ground, a shield that looked to be utterly destroyed on his arm, and when he met her eyes, his own widened in horror, then something like relief. It had been so long since she’d seen Steve. She wanted to run to him...to throw her arms around him like she had when she was little. But this was a battleground. Still, she smiled at him, lifting up a hand and waving with her fingers. He snorted, grinning at her just a little, eyes shining.

Penny looked around, watching as other portals appeared and more people stepped out of them. The Black Panther and an entire army. Sam and his wingsuit, along with Bucky and more sorcerers like Doctor Strange with magic coming from their hands. Then a woman on a horse, followed by others, all with swords and axes. And there were more...all around the terrible, gray battlefield filled with monsters like the ones on the first attack on New York were huge portals...filled with people ready to fight.

And so was she. She had to be. She was Spidergirl. And she would help her dad.

Leaping forward, she shot a web, jumping into action. “Karen? You with me?” she asked as her mask materialized over her face.

“Hello, Penny.” 

Tears filled her eyes as she smiled. She didn’t know how long she’d been away, nor did she remember any of it, but she had a feeling that it had been a long time.  “It’s so good to hear from you again,” she murmured, launching herself into the battle. Talking made it less scary somehow. “I missed you.” Dodging under the arm of a...giant, monster alien thing, she shot another web at its leg, spinning around and tripping it up, just like in Star Wars.

“I missed you as well, Penny.” 

So much was happening...so many armies swarming the battlefield. She did her best to focus on what was happening right in front of her...monsters. Aliens. Web. Punch. Duck. Jump. Remember to breathe. She wasn’t afraid, she realized. No time. No fear. Just movement. Duck, lunge, web, punch, duck. Don’t scream. Don’t cry out. Fight. Remember everything and fight!

And then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the Iron Man suit go flying, a huge alien coming after it. She webbed it by the arm, pulling as hard as she could and knocking it to the ground. Then she scurried past it, shooting a web and flipping over another one of those monsters, landing on her toes and then hurrying over to the armor...to her father. “Dad!” she cried, racing up to him, and he turned, jaw dropping as he looked at her...looked at her like this could only be a dream. Like it couldn’t be real. She knew that feeling. And so she spoke, forcing her voice to be light as she reached out her hands and pulled him to his feet.

“Hey, Dad! This is crazy, right? Remember when we went to space and I got all dusty? I must have passed out because the next thing I know, Doctor Strange was telling me that we’d been sleeping for long enough and that we had to help you…” He was moving toward her and before she could react, he was grabbing her, yanking her close and holding her, his hand on the back of her head as he shook.

“Penny,” he whispered her name, one hand moving over her back as if to make sure she was solid. As if to make sure it was really her. She shuddered, sniffing and burying her face in his armor. And for just a moment, she let go, a sob shaking her body.

She was scared she was scared she was scared.

“Daddy…”

“I’m here. I’ve got you. Penny...my Penny. I’m here, baby. I’ve got you. I love you so much...I thought...thought I’d never…” 

She shook her head, well aware of the battle raging around them.  “I love you too," she whispered, smiling when he cupped her cheek.

But then there were aliens and fighting and screaming and she had to pull away...had to fight. Had to watch her father fight for his own life as she struggled to save her own, ordering Karen to reassemble her mask over her head. The goggles helped her focus a little, and Karen did a great job of filtering out some of the noise. It was going...okay. She couldn’t see the bigger picture, but she guessed she didn’t need to. Instead, she focused on what she could, trying to stick close to her dad so that she could keep an eye on him. He was doing the same, she could tell.

And then…”Pen! Catch!” Penny turned just in time to catch the gauntlet that Steve threw her, grabbing it and holding it to her chest.

“Go, Penny!” Rhodey ordered in her ear, the two of them standing ready to fight as Thanos seemed to regroup. Steve was looking a little worse for wear, and she worried that he would fall over at any moment. Still, he had dragged himself back to his feet. “Get it away from him!”

And she started to. She turned to run. Saw the eyes of Thanos on her, huge and furious as Steve struggled to stay on his feet. All around her was screaming and the cries of aliens dying and people dying and...and then there was Doctor Strange. He was doing something with his hands, holding back a wall of water. But he turned and caught her eyes, holding up a finger. Smiling just a little

He’d seen the future. All of the possible futures.

He’d seen one where they won.

This was the endgame.

“Penny, go!” Steve screamed, stumbling under a blow, his ruined shied barely covering him. There was screaming and fighting all around her, and she knew that if she survived, she was going to have nightmares about this. The thought almost made her smile. She’d deal with the nightmares if she could just survive. “Get it away from here. Go!”

“Penny!” she heard her father cry, just before Thanos knocked him out of the way, the suit colliding with a pile of rubble, and her heart practically stopped before she saw him get back up.

“Kid! Get the gauntlet away from here!” Rhodey ordered in his serious military voice.

There was an army on one side of her, Thanos on the other. And people were yelling at her to go. To run. To get away.

But this was the endgame.

Penny took a deep breath, signaling for her mask to dematerialize, nanobots skittering over her face as it disappeared. But still, everything seemed to be on mute...the screaming and dying, the fire in the background, the water being held back by the wizards. Steve was on his knees, struggling to pull himself back to his feet. She could hear her father screaming her name in the background. She knew that Pepper was around...she’d seen her in the armor. But Penny was going to end this. Now. Before anyone else had to die.

She held up the gauntlet with her right hand, almost able to feel the stones humming. Doctor Strange had talked about them...they were too powerful for a human to use. But she wasn’t fully human, was she? She didn’t look at her father as she slipped her left hand into the golden metal glove that might have been heavy had she not been Spidergirl. It was huge and awkward on her hand, but somehow, it fit.

And immediately there was pain. The kind that raced up and down her arm and then through her body, surrounding her with a rainbow glow that would have been beautiful had it not felt like it was burning her from the inside. Despite the urge to drop, she stayed on her feet, aware in some part of her brain that she was screaming...that other people were screaming too. Her father was screaming her name...so was Steve, arm outstretched...but he was too far away to stop her. So was her dad. The two men reached for her, but before they could move, she lifted her arm, ignoring Thanos’s roar of fury as he moved closer.

Her left arm shook as she held it up and she had to gasp for air, forcing her throat to stop the noise. If this was going to kill her, she wouldn’t die screaming. Everything was hazy as she stared at Thanos, the one who had turned her to nothing...the one who had haunted her father’s dreams and killed so many people even before this last battle. And it would be his last battle. She wanted to say something witty, if only to stall for time. Because he had to know that she was scared. Because she didn’t want to die. But she knew that this was it...the future that Doctor Strange had seen.

“You’re a child! You can’t…”

Penny didn’t let him finish. She didn’t say anything witty or brave or snarky...didn’t have the strength to withstand this kind of pain and banter. But she brought her fingers together and remembered. She remembered the first time she met her dad...the first time he came into her room when she was sick and held her. Remembered the first time he told her that he loved her. She thought back to dancing on his feet and being swept up in his arms. The first time she’d swung through the city alone, and the first time she’d swung through the city with Iron Man flying at her side.

Liz. Ned. MJ. Her mother. Uncle Rhodey and Auntie Nat and dancing with Steve in the living room and building LEGOs with Thor and…

A day in the lab. Working on her suit. Led Zeppelin playing in the background, her dad singing along at the top of his lungs. The way he smiled at her when she laughed, eyes going soft and so full of love for her that sometimes she wondered how he could contain it all.

She found her father and smiled, heart aching when she saw the tear falling down his cheek. “I love you, Dad.”

And then, closing her eyes and holding onto that memory...holding onto her desire to protect everyone she loved, she snapped her fingers.

When Penny opened her eyes again, she was staggering, then sitting, the gauntlet laying at her side. In front of her, Thanos was staring, mouth open, as he faded away, the edges of his body turning to dust. She wanted to say something clever. Ask him how it felt to lose to a teenage girl. But she could barely lift her head from where it rested against a pile of what she hoped was just rubble. Everywhere, the aliens were turning to dust and scattering into the wind. Monsters were disappearing before her very eyes, and she couldn’t keep them open. It was so, blessedly quiet.

“Penny!” Someone knelt in front of her. Her dad. Of course it was her dad. She smiled, tasting blood on her tongue as she forced her eyes open again. “Baby, look at me. You’re okay...I’m right here, Pen. I’m here.”

“We won,” she choked out, and his smile lit up his whole face as he cupped her cheek.

“Yeah...yeah we won. Thanks to you.” He was bleeding from his lip, and there was a gash above his eyebrow. But he was okay. He was alive, and so was she, and all she wanted was to take a shower and go to bed, preferably curled up next to him.

“Damn, kid,” someone said to her right, and she glanced over to find Sam and Steve right beside her. On her other side, someone was touching her arm, and she flinched, barely moving her head and gasping when that hurt more.

“Hold on, Penny. I’m almost done.” Something was being sprayed on her arm then, and she screamed, throwing her head back and grinding her teeth together.

“Okay...it’s okay, honey. It’s okay,” her dad murmured, a thumb wiping under her eye. “Just a second. Fri? Scan her,” he ordered. She didn’t hear her reply, but she didn’t need to. Everything hurt, her arm worst of all, and she had a splitting headache. She didn’t think she’d ever been in quite this much pain. But already her cells were putting themselves back together.

“Okay. That was just an antibacterial spray. I can do more when we get you to the sanctum.”

“Huh?” she asked, recognizing Stephen Strange’s voice.

“We’re going to the sanctum to get everyone patched up. Well...not everyone. They’re opening up portals to Wakanda too. But we’re going to take you back to the sanctum.” Her father was rambling and she flipped her left hand over, holding it out. Immediately, he took her hand, closing his eyes and pressing his lips together. “You’re going to be fine, kiddo. You’ve got the best doctor on the planet here. And he can make you a balloon animal.” 

Doctor Strange rolled his eyes as he stood, making a portal a few feet away. Past him, she could see why looked like dozens of portals opening everywhere.

“I want a giraffe, Doctor Strange.” 

The man sighed, shaking his head and almost smiling.  “I can offer you a balloon snake, a balloon worm, or a balloon hotdog sans bun.” He told her, waving his hand as a portal to what looked like someone’s bedroom opened.

“Giraffe or nothing at all,” she insisted, ignoring how her voice barely worked...how every word made her headache worse.

“As if there were any doubts about her being your daughter,” the doctor muttered, but he didn’t really look upset. “Alright. Let’s get back to the sanctum. Wong is already there, preparing medical supplies.

Wong...she sort of remembered him being mentioned...maybe. Penny guessed that she’d find out who he was soon. In the meantime, she had a more pressing problem. “Dad?”

Her father, who hadn’t once taken his eyes off of her, jumped to attention, moving closer. “Yeah, baby?”

“I don’t think I can walk,” she admitted, hating to admit to the weakness, but also well aware that she felt like she might pass out at any moment.

“I’ll carry you, young Penny.” The voice startled her, and she looked past her father to find Thor...but he looked different. One of his eyes was a different color, and his hair was long and matted, blood dripping from a wound on his temple and into his hair. And he looked….tired. So tired. And sad. Pained.

He looked like her dad had looked after the wormhole.

“Thor…” she whispered as he knelt beside her, lifting her easily into his arms. It had been so long...he’d been gone for such a long time. And he looked so much older.

“Yes, I know. I look...different,” he told her, wry, almost embarrassed smile turning the corners of his mouth. She remembered the gentle, smiling man who’d sat with her on Christmas eve, building with LEGOS and then holding her in his arms for hours while she’d been sick, and shook her head.

“I missed you so much,” she whispered, wrapping her good arm around his neck as best she could and hiding her face in his shoulder, tears soaking into his shirt. “You were gone forever...you promised you’d visit!”

“I know...I’m very sorry," he murmured, holding her just as tightly for a moment, then moved toward the portal, her father only a half step behind. “Apparently I’ve missed a lot...when did you become Spidergirl, a woman formidable enough to wield the infinity stones?”

“When did you get a different eye?” she countered, making her voice light. “Is that something Asgardians do sometimes? Can you just change your eye color whenever you want?” It took every ounce of energy to keep up the banter, and he seemed to realize even as he chuckled, shifting her so that she could lean her head on his shoulder, her burned arm bent painfully and resting on her stomach. She tried not to look at it...at the burned, blistered skin.

“That is a story for another time, young Penny," he told her, laying her gently on a bed in what looked to be a large bedroom. She couldn’t take much of it in, though, as her vision was fading at the edges. Eyes struggling to take in the people who’d come, she tried to count. To find everyone. But she could barely focus...she was so tired.

“Just rest, baby. The doc’s going to look you over, and if you’re lucky, when you wake up, he’ll pull a rabbit out of his hat.” 

She had to giggle at that, about to tell him that Doctor Strange didn’t have a hat, but she didn’t have the energy. Instead, she closed her eyes as someone poked her in the arm with a needle, and someone else released her suit. She was fine...her dad was with her. Thanos was gone. Thor was back, and everyone was safe.

Everything was going to be okay.


	11. All Was Well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for my very first Whumptober in 2018, which I started late, on day 16, I wrote a prompt, Bedridden, which started a series I called my Tiny Penny Parker series. And I have loved it. I put it up on A03 as The Father Daughter Dance, and had so much fun writing these interconnected one-shots in which Tony navigates fatherhood after taking in his daughter. And today, I’m finally finishing that series. I hope that you enjoy the final installment in my Tiny Penny Parker series <3

Penny stared at the wall of the sanctum, a pillow propped behind her head, her arm throbbing. There was an IV inserted into the back of her wrist, and her left arm was wrapped in bandages, all the way from her wrist to her shoulder. Maybe more. She couldn't seem to stay awake for long enough to remember. To lift her shirt to see if any more of her was hurt. Her left eye felt strange...hazy. And her head throbbed in time to her heartbeat. A thick blanket was pulled up to her chest, and when she tried to sit up, it slipped a little. But she couldn’t manage it. Couldn’t push herself upright, instead finding herself flat on her back with a building nausea that seemed to slip away with her consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, Thor was there. Still tired looking. Still sad. But his long hair had been cut short, shorter than she’d ever seen it, and he was watching her with his strange eyes.

“Missed you,” she slurred a little, fighting to stay awake. She knew she was in the sanctum. She knew that she’d snapped her fingers. She knew that Thanos was gone. Had felt him die, along with all of the others. Had watched them crumble to dust just like she had. How long had she been gone? Dr. Strange had said but she couldn’t remember. How long had it been since her dad had knelt by her side, crying and holding her? Since Thor had carried her through a portal and she’d dropped into this constant hazy reality. 

“I missed you as well,” Thor murmured, leaning in, his eyes as soft and kind as ever. Where was everyone? Where was her dad? Suddenly she felt like a little kid again, wanting her father. 

“Where were you?”

“I was trapped on another planet. I couldn’t…”

He kept talking, but she was gone again. Asleep. And his words pushed through into her dreams...dreams of an arena and aliens and monsters and...and...a child?

“When is she going to wake up?”

“She’s been awake a few times. She just needs to sleep as much as she can so that she feels better?” That was her father. Who was her dad talking to?

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, Morguna?”

“Do you love me even though she’s back?”

Penny’s heart clenched in her chest. Daddy? Who was calling her father ‘daddy?’ He was her daddy. Her father. Her dad. Her’s. The flare of pain and jealousy and fear was so intense that it almost scared her, and the beeping that had been her constant companion got a little faster. 

Her dad mumbled something she couldn’t hear...his voice got further and further away and a hand closed around hers. “Penny?” 

“Pepper?” 

“That’s right, baby. How are you feeling?” Her voice was so soft. So kind. It made Penny’s heart ache even more as she forced her eyes open.

“Who was Dad talking to?”

Pepper’s lips pressed together into a hesitant smile as she squeezed Penny’s hand. “That was Morgan.” Penny didn’t respond. Just waited. “Morgan…” The woman who had been like her aunt and her mother and her friend all combined sighed. “Do you know how long you were gone?”

“No.” Penny shook her head even though it hurt.

“Five years. Five years and almost six months. And Tony...your dad...he tried so hard to bring you back. But after a year of doing nothing but working...he...we all...we all had to keep living.”

Keep living. Penny knew what that meant. It meant ‘move on.’ They’d moved on. 

They’d forgotten her. The way she had forgotten her mother in so many ways. Because her mother was dead. Penny had been dead. Only she hadn’t! 

“Your father and I got married. And...and four and a half years ago, we had a baby.” 

They’d left her behind. They’d started a family without her. Had a new baby. A replacement. The pain was like nothing she’d felt before, making it impossible to breathe as her heart seemed to seize in her chest. Her dad had had another baby. Another little girl. A little girl with someone he actually loved. A little girl who had a mother and a father and now...and now who did Penny have?

She was crying before she realized it, jerking away from Pepper without meaning too as the tears dripped from her cheeks. 

“Penny, honey…”

“Go away.” The words were hoarse and they hurt as they seemed to scrape against the insides of her throat. “Go away.” Closing her eyes, she tried to bring her knees up...to rest her head on them. But she could barely move and everything hurt and she just wanted to go back. To go back to the day before that field trip, when all of it had started. To her, it had been less than a week ago, if that. To everyone else, it had been five years. Five years where her dad had replaced her with a new little girl. It was like every fear, every insecurity she’d ever had about her place in her father’s life...they had all come true. She was replaceable. 

Pepper tried to touch her again. Tried to talk to her. But Penny clutched her hair in her hands, sobbing and rolling over so that the woman’s hands landed on the blanket instead. And then her footsteps were retreating.

Penny didn’t know how long she cried. How long she struggled to breathe through the pain...the pain in her body and the pain in her chest, as the words repeated over and over in her brain. ‘We had to keep living. We had a baby.’ 

A baby. A baby who was almost five. A baby who was love by two parents. A baby who had taken the role she’d used to have...the family she’d been forced to leave. Would her dad even want her around anymore? Did she have a room? Or had he turned it into a nursery? Morgan’s nursery. Was it her room now? Did they even still live at the tower? Or the compound? No...no the compound had been turned to rubble. She’d seen it. Twisted wreckage and blood and ash…

“Penny?” She hadn’t heard her father’s footsteps. Hadn’t been paying attention. So she jumped when his hand touched her arm, his soft voice so sad. “Hey...baby?”

“Don’t,” she snapped, feeling stupid and childish but so, so hurt. “Don’t call me that. Not when I’m not…”

“Not when you’re not what?” her dad asked, sounding incredulous. “Penny, you are my baby. My little girl and...and I never thought I’d get to see you again!” There was wonder in his voice. Awe. But he’d moved on. Of course he’d moved on. So where did that leave her. 

Moving carefully, he sat on the bed beside her, keeping his warm, familiar hand on her arm. “Pepper told me you were upset. I didn’t even know you were awake.” The hand moved, stroking her hair, which only made her cry harder. “Please talk to me.” 

Refusing to roll over and look at him, she gave in and spoke. “You had another kid.”

“I did. I...I didn’t plan it. But when Pepper told me, I thought...god Pen. It was like...I had been spending every second of every day trying to figure it out. Time travel. The soul stone. Anything. Anything to get you back. But...but then Pepper told me she was pregnant and I had to stop. I had to…”

“Move on,” she finished for him, her voice bitter.

“Move on,” he agreed, squeezing her shoulder.

“You replaced me. Forgot about me,” she accused, nearly choking on the words when a new wave a tears came and the hand on her shoulder squeezed even harder, as if trying to ground her.

“No,” her dad told her firmly, leaving no room for argument. “No. No. Not ever. Hey,” he spoke up, pulling at her arm. “Look at me. Pen. Hey, just for a second. Look at me.”

Obeying on instinct, she turned to look at him, knowing what he would see in her face. Hurt. Betrayal. Pain. Reaching out a hand, he cupped her cheek, running a thumb under her eye and wiping away tears she didn’t even register anymore. 

“I never forgot you, Penny. Not for a single day. Not for a minute. I could never replace you. You’re my daughter. My...my everything. More than Iron Man or the tower or my work or...or my life. You were my everything. And I lost you. And…” He clenched his jaw, closing his eyes tightly for a moment. When he opened them, a tear escaped, mirroring the one that fell from her own eyes. “It was my fault. I let you come with me and...and I let you fight Thanos…” He trailed off, voice breaking on the name. “And I lost you. I didn’t think I could be a father again. Not after that. I didn’t deserve it. But then Morgan was born and I had to. I had to be her father. I...I loved being her father. And she reminded me of you, sometimes. She…” he smiled, just a little, through his tears. “She loves LEGOs. And building them together. And you.”

“Me?” Penny asked, swallowing and trying to understand. Trying to make the pain in her chest go away. 

“I told her stories about you almost every night. About her big sister who would have loved her so much. And about Spider-Girl. I told her how brave and strong and smart her big sister was. I told her that you were a superhero. And when she found out that you’d come back...she’s so excited.”

Reaching down, her dad pulled her upright, his grip firm and gentle, and Penny let herself be maneuvered until she was resting against his side, his arms around you. “You were never replaced. Never forgotten. We moved out of the city. Built a lakehouse. And I kept a room for you. Pepper said...she said it was unhealthy. That I had to let you go. But I never could. I could never let you go.” He pressed a hand to the back of her head, and she sobbed into his shirt, putting her right arm around him as carefully as she could, trying not to disturb the IV line, as her left arm hung useless in the bandages.

“I love you. I love you so much. More than anything. You’re my baby, Penny. You and Morgan. You’re my girls. I...I never thought I’d see you again.” 

She’d missed him. And it didn’t make sense, because to her, she’d just seen him. They’d just been on Titan together, fighting Thanos for the first time. And hugging on the battlefield by the ruined compound. But it was like her body knew. Every atom of her knew that it had been so long since she’d hugged her father. Since she’d been truly safe. And for a very long time, her dad held her, his cheek resting on her head, her hand fisted in the back of his shirt. 

Penny must have fallen asleep in his arms, her body demanding the rest that would help it heal, because when she woke, she was laying back against the pillow again, only this time, her head was resting on someone’s shoulder, and someone was laying down beside her. 

“She seems to be healing nicely. You should be able to take her home today,” someone said, speaking softly. Her father’s arm, which was wrapped around her shoulders, squeezed her in a gentle hug. 

“What about her arm?”

“I’ll change the bandages before you leave, and I’ll come by once a week to check on her. She may need physical therapy to regain a full range of motion, but we can’t be sure until she attempts to get up and move those muscles. Her healing is something I’m still not completely familiar with.”

“Thank you, Strange. For everything.”

“Your daughter saved the universe, Stark. It’s the least I can do.” 

Penny blinked awake, but by the time her eyes were open, Dr. Strange was already gone. She looked over at her dad who gave her a soft smile, brushing some of her hair away. “Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?”

In reality, her left side ached in a strange way, like an old injury on a rainy day. And her throat was sore and dry, probably from crying. And the knowledge that her dad had another daughter still hurt. Still made her heart squeeze in pain every few seconds. But she tried to smile. “I’m okay.”

Her father’s expression told her that he didn’t believe that, but he sat up anyway, grabbing a pitcher of water from the bedside table and pouring her a glass. She took it with her right hand, not trying to use her left yet, and then took a drink, the water brought a rush of relief to her throat. When she’d downed the whole thing, he poured her another glass. “Strange is coming back soon to rewrap your arm. He said that you might need…”

“Physical therapy,” she finished softly, holding the glass in a fist so tight that she nearly cracked it. Deliberately, she eased up on her grip. 

“Hey, whatever you need, we’ll do it,” he murmured, sitting on the bed beside her. He was her dad. He could fix anything. 

But could he fix this feeling inside of her? This lingering disquiet. The lingering fear that maybe…

Maybe he would have been better off...maybe they all would have been, Pepper and their new daughter, if she just...hadn’t come back?

No one in the world could read her like her father. He reached out, cupping her cheek in his palm like he had the night before. “Hey. Talk to me, Pen. What’s going on?” She just stared at the glass in her hand and gently, he removed it, placing it on the table and giving her a smile that looked pained. “I know this is weird. I know it’s all different and strange and you probably have a million questions. And I’m ready to answer them. Pepper took Morgan for a few days, so I can show you the lakehouse and my new lab, and we’ll get you a spot set up. And maybe when the school year starts up, we’ll all move back to the tower. I didn’t touch your room. It’s exactly the same. The cleaning staff clean it once a week and they probably think I’m insane, but I don’t care. I couldn’t...I couldn’t get rid of any of it.” 

Penny wanted to say so much. She wanted to shout that it wasn’t fair. She wanted to tell her dad that she wished this hadn’t happened. That all of it was a strange dream and she would wake up and go to the kitchen for breakfast and her dad would kiss her hair and Uncle Rhodey would make her pancakes and maybe Thor would visit...that she would tell her dad about her dream and he would hold her tight and tell her that none of it was real. That she was safe. That her life was exactly the way she remembered it.

But it wasn’t true. None of it. This wasn’t a dream and her life would be so different now and she felt a wave of grief for the things she’d lost. For the changes that would happen. 

But her dad was there. He was holding her, moving to wrap his arms around her. “I know. I know this is hard. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered, looking up at him through tears she struggled to stop. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She just wanted to move forward. Figure out what life was going to be like now. Even if it was going to be hard. “You tried to send me home.”

He gave a weak laugh, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

“Can...can we go? Home? Or...or to the lakehouse or…”

“Yeah, we can go just as soon as Strange looks you over.”

Doctor Strange was oddly...nice as he unwound the bandages from her arms, giving her her first glance at the scarring that covered her whole arm, from her shoulder to her fingertips. Penny’s brain didn’t seem to want to take it in...like she didn’t have room for an emotional response to anything else, so she just stared at them dispassionately as Doctor Strange asked about her pain and put some kind of ointment on her arm before rewrapping it, her dad at her side the whole time. Everything, every conversation and every moment, felt surreal. 

Her dad had another kid. A nearly five-year-old girl. She’d been dead and her dad had started a new family. Then...she’d come back. And she’d saved the world? The universe?

That was another thing she couldn’t bring herself to think about.

Later, in the weeks and months to come, on outings with her dad and Pepper and her new little sister, she would see the murals, and she would wonder who started it. Who had seen her with the gauntlet and passed that information along. She would see paintings of Spider-Girl on the sides of buildings and on sidewalks, left hand lifted, the gauntlet shining and flashing bright colors. Or paintings of her swinging between buildings, fingers extended as she shot another web. Flowers were sometimes left at the base of those murals. Or sometimes impromptu food pantries would pop up, boxes full of canned goods free to anyone that needed them. Fresh fruit in bows for people to grab as they walked by, replenished by anonymous strangers. And her dad would take her hand and squeeze it, pressing a kiss to her hair. “It’s their way of saying thank you,” he’d explain with a smile. “You saved the universe, Pen. They want to thank you.”

Now, though, she stood on shaky legs, pushing thoughts of the gauntlet and Thanos away as she felt her muscles move, taking her weight almost reluctantly. Her dad held her good arm, helping as she got used to standing once more, and then Doctor Strange pronounced her healthy enough to go home. 

And then he opened a portal.

When they stepped through, they were facing a lake. Penny stared at it, frowning a little before turning to see the cabin her dad was looking at. “I needed to get out of the city,” he told her softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. As if afraid she might disappear again.

Fade to dust.

Pushing that thought away too, Penny let him lead her to the house. Up the stairs. Into a cozy living room. Through a bright kitchen. He said something about an alpaca that she wasn’t sure she heard right. And then, on the shelf by the sink, she spotted it. A picture of them, standing together, holding her Stark Industries internship certificate. It had been a year long internship, not made any easier by the fact that her father was Tony Stark, but she’d done it. And together, they’d posed for Pepper’s camera, their fingers coming up behind each other’s head as they’d made bunny ears, the certificate upside down between them. 

“There are more,” he murmured, staring at the picture alongside her. I have a whole album that Morgan loves to go through. She likes to sit with us on the sofa before bed and ask questions about you. Sometimes she’d ask me one I didn’t know the answer to, so I’d just make one up,” he admitted with a laugh, and she felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips as she spotted the photo of her dad and Pepper and a little girl between them. Morgan.

“She asked me if you liked juice pops...and I never made you juice pops. I didn’t know what they were. I didn’t...I had no idea how to be the father of a little girl when you came to live with me. I was...hell, Pen, I was just a step above an alcoholic at first. But...I told her yes. That you did. And I told her that you liked Frozen, even though I didn’t know if you’d ever seen it.” He sniffed, wiping a hand over his eyes before tugging her closer. “I never thought I’d get this chance. I never thought I’d get to see you meet your sister, or graduate from high school, or...or take over Stark Industries and change the world.” 

Her dad turned, pulling her into an impromptu hug, and she knew that he was afraid, just like she was. Afraid that it was a dream, but for different reasons. And she tried to imagine life without him. A life where he had disappeared instead. A life where she had been forced to move on. And she squeezed him as tight as she dared, the very thought making a cold pit of dread open up inside her. 

Wasn’t she glad he’d kept living? Wasn’t she happy that he’d found some happiness even without her. Wasn’t that what he would wave wanted for her? 

“I know it’s going to be...an adjustment. With Pepper and...well, she mostly lived with us anyway, but...well, with Morgan. Um…” He shook his head, a little flustered as he looked around the room as if looking for something else to show her.

“You were going to show me your lab,” she reminded him and he smiled. He was older, she realized as he led her down the stairs. His hair was graying, and he had new lines around his eyes. But he was still her dad. He was still her home. That hadn’t changed. And for the first time, as she said hello to Dum-E who greeted her with excited beeps, she felt a tiny ray of hope. Maybe...maybe it would be okay. 

He showed her her bedroom last. Opening the door almost sheepishly, her dad revealed a bedroom just like the one at the tower. The same colors. A bed with her comforter and so many pillows, because she loved pillows. A desk with a computer that looked new. Her Star Wars posters. Her Avengers poster that Sam had gotten her as a joke one year, complete with all of their signatures. (For her last Christmas, she’d gotten him a Spider-Girl poster from a bodega that sold Spider-Girl merch and had signed in it bold blue Sharpie. She was pretty sure he’d hung it up in his room at the tower.) 

Her stuffed animals were lined up on a shelf, her favorite bunny in the middle. Her backpack sat on the floor by the desk. There was a TV in the corner on the wall. A photo of her and Ned sitting on the bedside table. A photo of her and MJ on the desk. 

It was her room. He’d given her a room, even though she’d been dead.

Later, after a full day in her new house and after phone calls to Ned and MJ, Pepper would bring Morgan home. And Penny would introduce herself. Morgan would hold out a hand for Penny to shake, adorably serious, and declare that Penny was her big sister. Penny would know, in that moment, that it was true. That this was her little sister, and that she would love her with a love she’d never felt before. 

Later, every single Avenger would call her a hero. Would call her selfless and brave and reckless (mostly Steve for that last one) and they would hug her and thank her in a long, overwhelming parade. And Penny would ask her dad about Auntie Nat and sit shell-shocked when he broke the news. She would cry again, this time tears of shock and grief, and he would hold her for a very long time.

Later, Happy would drive Ned and MJ over to the lakehouse and she would throw herself in their arms and cry again, all of them holding each other in the driveway, rocking back and forth and crying. And they would stay there for a long time before going into her bedroom as talking about the things that have changed and the things that haven’t. About school and college and their futures and about Penny’s bravery and she would brush that off uncomfortably.

It hadn’t been bravery. Not really….that wasn’t how she saw it. It had been the great responsibility that came with great power. It had been stopping the bad thing from happening because she could.

All of those things would come later. But now she turned to her dad who watched her nervously, as if she might be upset that he’d set up a room for her in his new life. That he’d looked past the fact that she was dead and gone, and had made sure that she had a space in his home. That her sister knew who she was. That she would never be forgotten. 

“I love you, Dad,” she whispered, wondering when the tears would end. 

Her dad pulled her into another hug, and she was glad, because she’d missed so many of them. “I love you too, Pen. So much. We’re going to figure this out.”

And because there had never been a problem her dad hadn’t been able to figure out, Penny believed him. 

**The End**


End file.
